The Bestlin Group in collaboration with its Thai agent, Super Zara, was supposed to deliver 489 buses by 29 December 2016. A total of 390 have been handed over to the Mass Transit Authority, but the remaining 99 have been impounded by Thailand’s Customs Department.
The reason for this is that under the terms of the BMTA contract, the buses were supposed to have been partially built in Malaysia to qualify for ASEAN free trade tax reductions of 40 per cent. Customs officials claim the buses were actually shipped from China as fully assembled units.
The buses are being held by the Customs Department at Laem Chabang Port until overdue fines on them are paid. Our image of the buses comes with courtesy of Thai PBS. 12GO ASIA is the most reliable source of tickets for intercity routes to destinations throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Bangkok pulls the plug on contract for supply of gas buses
News in Asia
The stand-in director of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority last week tore up a contract for the procurement of a fleet of gas powered public buses. Somsak Hommuang said the reason behind the scrapping of the contract for the fleet of NGV buses was that the Bestlin Group had not delivered all of them.