The initial consignment of 100 buses is due for delivery in March and the rest in increments of the same amount, or slightly more, at three-month intervals. The latest agreement for the purchase of the buses lays to rest a saga that, according to transport-minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, began more than a decade ago.
The last edition saw the BMTA pull the plug on the contract after some of the buses had already arrived in Thailand. This was last April and the reason provided was the supplier, the Bestlin Group, had avoided paying the full importation tax on the buses.
12GO ASIA says the new contract seems above board as the buses are being provided by a partnership of two firms, Scan Inter and Cho Thavee, and the parts are being fabricated by the Jiangxi Kama Bus Company in China. As part of the deal, the joint venture will be providing maintenance services on the buses for 10 years.
Bangkok transport division agrees new deal for gas buses
News in Asia
Late last month, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) agreed a new deal for the supply of a fleet of gas-powered buses. Under the terms of the contract, the authority will pay almost THB4.3 billion for 489 natural gas vehicle (NGV) buses.