An old bus seat found to have mushrooms growing on it has finally been replaced by a new one, according to staff at the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).
A commuter took a photo of the seat and the mushrooms and posted it on Facebook - and it went viral. That seat was on a No.82 bus on the Tha Nam Phra Pradaeng - Phahurat route.
The poster wrote on his Facebook page that the mushrooms might be good for a curry, or even be eaten by passengers when the bus was stuck in traffic.
The photo came to the attention of the Land Transport Department, and officials visited the No.82 bus depot to check it out on Tuesday.
They found most of the buses there had been in use for about 30 years and some were in very bad condition, many with seats that were very old and worn.
They told BMTA staff at the depot to keep the buses better maintained.
A bus dispatcher said he had learned about the bus seat and the mushrooms on it from social media.
He said that bus had previously been kept at the depot for three to four days for repairs. There was persistent rain over that time and the old seat might have soaked up the moisture - and mushrooms grew on it.
