He has a right to be concerned. Among developing countries, Thailand ranks near the bottom in terms of fuel usage efficiency. In Bangkok, I believe that more than half of the passenger cars are used by a single person.

With the incessant expansion of the metropolitan area, this could be a permanent trend, even when Bangkok develops more mass transit routes.

The best the new trains can do is encourage those who singly use their cars to park them near railway stations and ride public transport to the inner city.

And even when the mass transit routes are completed, I wonder if top company executives would really give up their official cars and carry their briefcases all by themselves to board public trains - commuting side by side with lowly peons who work at the same company. Oh the humiliation!

"Wang na ti ni?" as we say in Thai. "Where can I put my face?"

I just wonder if all these executives give up their official cars, how much fuel would Thailand save? These official cars are powerful beasts with engines larger than 2,000cc.

Roughly, if we estimate that all 500 listed companies have three official cars for top executives, that is equivalent to 1,500 gas-guzzling monsters on the road. Needless to say, many non-listed companies also have official cars. Kasikorn Asset Management, for example, provides a Mercedes Benz for its chairman, Piyasvasti Amranand.

He is also chairman of the Energy for Environment Foundation. Driving a Mercedes would not seem to be an environmentally correct option.

But Piyasvasti insists that he helps save the company's fuel bill.

His tip: you need to refill fuel tanks in the morning, before 8am.

At that time, petrol remains condensed due to low temperatures at night. As a result, with a similar amount of money, you would get more petrol.

Certainly you should follow his advice because Piyasvasti has been in the energy business for years.

But Tiraphot might not be pleased, especially if Piyasvasti's chauffeur is a regular patron of his Shell stations.

achara_d@nationgroup.com