Mr Akrathit carried on by saying the purchase price for the 200 vehicles was THB3.3 billion and the cabinet decision on the matter should be released prior to the end of February. He finished off with a codicil saying that if the proposal got the green light, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) would be able to inaugurate routes using the buses by year’s end.
The Thai government and the BMTA have been trying to improve public transportation in the capital city in recent years. The BMTA has been road-testing hybrid buses and has ordered a fleet of 489 NGV gas buses.
The import of the NGV buses has been delayed due to doubts over where they were built. Under the terms of the purchase contract, they were supposed to be manufactured in China and put together in Malaysia to qualify for ASEAN bloc membership tax reductions.
It is alleged the buses were shipped as complete units from China and only stopped in Malaysia to satisfy documentation requirements. Bangkok’s bus, train and Metro services link all intercity transport hubs. 12GO ASIA sells tickets from these to destinations throughout Thailand.
Electric buses could be on the streets of Bangkok by the end of 2017
News in Asia
Thailand’s deputy-transport-minister says he is confident a fleet of eclectic buses will be plying routes in Bangkok before the end of 2017. Talking to journalists last Friday, Pichit Akrathit said a proposal to buy 200 electric buses was already being reviewed by cabinet ministers and he saw no reason it would be rejected.