He continued by saying that a company that made replica trolley-buses was sponsoring the trial runs with a view to making it a travel option for Phuket Town’s residents and tourists. The deputy-mayor noted that when it first ran on Thursday the tram’s 24 seats were occupied for each trip.
The tram follows a circular route that begins and ends at the town’s Queen Sirikit Park. En route it travels along thoroughfares that include Thalang Road, Rassada Road and Montri Road. As there is only one trolley-bus at the moment, departure times have been set to 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00.
The trolley-buses have already been introduced in a couple of other locations in Thailand and one of these is the seaside resort of Songkhla in the far south of the country. They are also utilised at public zoos such as Chiang Mai and Bangkok’s Dusit Zoo. The vehicles are powered by petrol engines and cost around THB800,000 apiece.
Phuket Town runs prototype trolley-bus service
News in Asia
The transport authority in Phuket Town has inaugurated a temporary trolley-bus service for the duration of the annual Vegetarian Festival. The service is currently free and deputy-mayor Kosol Tang-Uthai said if there was sufficient interest in it, it could become permanent.