The BMTA says the aim is to have installed the equipment on 800 buses by year’s end and then to work out a timetable for the rest of the fleet. One of the machines on each of the buses will accept coins, but not banknotes, while the other will be able to read and verify frequent use Mangmoom cards.
The machines will be placed close to the doors of the buses and be hooked up to a monitor the driver is able to see. The 1 October is also the date when the long-awaited Mangmoom commuter cards are supposed to officially launch.
Asked at the press briefing whether conductors would become redundant on the buses, BMTA director Somsak Hommuang said this was unlikely. He explained they would be needed for another two years at least to help passengers get used to the new equipment.
12GO ASIA says Bangkok’s bus network covers just about every area of the Thai capital. It goes to places the fledgling Skytrain and Metro systems have not so far reached.
Buses in Bangkok to be fitted with ticket machines
News in Asia
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has announced the date it will start fitting its bus fleet with automatic ticket machines. The first buses in the 2,600-strong fleet will be equipped with two different machines starting on 1 October.