New NGV buses finally hit the streets of Bangkok: D-Day tomorrow

 

 

Part of a fleet of Natural Gas buses promised to Bangkokians a year ago is ready to enter service. 

 

Some 100 NGV buses will enter service on eight routes from tomorrow, Thursday 29th. 

 

In total 489 vehicles have been purchased at a cost of 4,261 million baht, said BMTA representative Prayoon Chuaykaew. 

 

The purchase of the buses was mired in controversy that resulted in the authorities having to pay compensation to the original suppliers. 

 

The air-con buses are fitted with emergency exits and hammers, are handicap friendly and have 35 seats.

 

Among the innovations are seat belts for the driver, reported Daily News.

 

The first hundred buses will ply the following routes in regions 2 and 3.

 

Region 2 (ten buses each route):

 

Route 26 Minburi to Victory Monument

Route 60 Suan Siam to Pak Klong Talat

Route 168 Suan Siam to Victory Monument

Route 514 Minburi to Silom

 

Region 3

 

Route 23 Mega bang Na to Thewes (10 buses)

Route 142 Pak Nam to Saemdam Garage (10)

Route 145 Pak Nam to Mo Chit (20)

Route 511 Pak Nam to New Southern Bus terminal (20)

 

The remaining 389 buses are expected to be in service by March 2019 and will be used on many other routes.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-11-28

Do the brakes work on these ones?

Edited November 28, 20187 yr by SkyNets

 

how about seat belts for customers and no seat belt for the driver...that should about even things out vs the other way around.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Among the innovations are seat belts for the driver, reported Daily News.

Innovation? Blimey, just how far behind is Thailand from the normal world?

... controversy that resulted in the authorities having to pay compensation to the original suppliers.

 

Only in Thailand can you cheat on import duty by falsely declaring Chinese buses to be Malay and end up getting compensation from the authorities for it. By the way I have seen the exact same buses for months. wondering if not all but the 3 in the picture were quietly released for service a long time ago?

Edited November 28, 20187 yr by saigonsunset

I was on one of these last Friday. It was eerily similar to the yellow ones they have on Lard Prao. I remember them being new back in about 2010. They started falling apart very quickly and I see fewer of them around nowadays. 

Seat belts for drivers - I wonder how many of them will be worn. These buses were the subject of a massive Chinese scam to evade Thai import duties by importing via Malaysia.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Among the innovations are seat belts for the driver, 

And it is believed brakes that work .. 

Edited November 28, 20187 yr by Justgrazing
Sp

3 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Seat belts for drivers - I wonder how many of them will be worn. These buses were the subject of a massive Chinese scam to evade Thai import duties by importing via Malaysia.

Using a seatbelt should be a personal choice, when a accident happens you will only hurt yourself, but you are  one of those that likes to be told what to do.... 

Now if they can get rid of all the black suit pumping trucks.

5 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I was on one of these last Friday. It was eerily similar to the yellow ones they have on Lard Prao. I remember them being new back in about 2010. They started falling apart very quickly and I see fewer of them around nowadays. 

Because In this country they don’t know what maintenance means...

 

if the buses in bangkok was well taken care of like the bts and mrt, there would be another case...

 

corruption is the root to the lack of maintenance in this country...

 

they should get rid of all buses older then 2010, and replace them with newer buses, I have read few places they are going to purchase some 3000+ new buses, but that won’t happen in our life time, this is the country of delays/...

Are these from the Laem Chabang cohort that was impounded two or three years ago? 

I'm glad to see that route 511 is among the first to receive these chariots of comfort and efficiency, but am a little concerned about the hammers....

 

the writer of the article is ill-informed, these blue buses have been on the streets of bangkok for a while now. 

8 hours ago, saigonsunset said:

... controversy that resulted in the authorities having to pay compensation to the original suppliers.

 

Only in Thailand can you cheat on import duty by falsely declaring Chinese buses to be Malay and end up getting compensation from the authorities for it. By the way I have seen the exact same buses for months. wondering if not all but the 3 in the picture were quietly released for service a long time ago?

This 489 buses is the second acquisition of 489 buses with the first acquisition of a previous 489 buses made in 2016 and delivered in 2017. You likely saw the new NGV buses from the first acquisition. It's a little confusing that both BMTA purchases were for the same number of buses that were manufactured by the same Chinese company.

BMTA's award of both bus groups of buses were mired in controversy.

It was part of the first group supplied by Bestlin that were routed through Malaysia for which the Thai importer claimed were exempt from Thai import tax. Long story short - after Bestlin filed a collusion lawsuit against BMTA with another bidder, BMTA accepted all the 489 buses and paid Bestlin the award price after BMTA had cancelled Bestlin's award in favor of another bidder.

The second group of buses went through three or four bid meets before Bestlin again won the award that was then cancelled by BMTA for alleged document technicalities. Long story short - BMTA subsequently without a bid meet awarded purchase to another bidder and Bestlin threatened another lawsuit for collusion. Apparently according to the subject article, it appears that Bestlin received compensation from BMTA for rejection of its award for the second group of buses.

3 hours ago, The traveler said:

Because In this country they don’t know what maintenance means...

 

if the buses in bangkok was well taken care of like the bts and mrt, there would be another case...

 

corruption is the root to the lack of maintenance in this country...

 

they should get rid of all buses older then 2010, and replace them with newer buses, I have read few places they are going to purchase some 3000+ new buses, but that won’t happen in our life time, this is the country of delays/...

 

I don't know where you live, but in BKK every time I pushed an elevator button, the elevator worked, I never failed to make it to the next floor on an escalator, the lights came on every single time I flipped on my light switch, my toilet flushed every time I pushed the lever, and... well, you get the picture.  All of that takes maintenance.  Along with the zillion other amenities we take for granted, while dedicated workers in the background toil to keep them working.

 

Of course, you can always point to examples, and perhaps some business segments where maintenance is lacking for whatever reason- usually greed and corruption.  But claiming that Thailand doesn't know what maintenance means is tripe.  I worked with hundreds of amazing Thai people who did an excellent job maintaining our onshore and our offshore facilities.

Edited November 28, 20187 yr by impulse

6 hours ago, The traveler said:

Using a seatbelt should be a personal choice, when a accident happens you will only hurt yourself, but you are  one of those that likes to be told what to do.... 

You are joking surely....."only hurt yourself"......if your body is hurtling about the inside of a bus during an accident, how many people can you make contact with, Killing them?

In Thailand they make plenty of cars some trucks so why not a bus. Its a chassis & engine, not rocket science, even if they use an imported engine. 

13 hours ago, The traveler said:

Using a seatbelt should be a personal choice, when a accident happens you will only hurt yourself, but you are  one of those that likes to be told what to do.... 

I am a UK citizen where the wearing of seat belts is compulsory - no "personal choice" involved. Even here in rural Isaan where I live, I was stopped at a police check point and warned about not wearing my seat belt!

Edited November 29, 20187 yr by Burma Bill

21 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Innovation? Blimey, just how far behind is Thailand from the normal world?

So far that's its  not even  funny to think about????

7 hours ago, Tailwagsdog said:

In Thailand they make plenty of cars some trucks so why not a bus. Its a chassis & engine, not rocket science, even if they use an imported engine. 

In Australia and most other countries you purchase a running chassis this is front axle engine gear box and diff, all the body builder does is extend the chassis to the required length and add a body

I can see how this would NOT work in Thailand

2 clowns with 2 tape measures 2 different lengths of steel cut ????

20 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I was on one of these last Friday. It was eerily similar to the yellow ones they have on Lard Prao. I remember them being new back in about 2010. They started falling apart very quickly and I see fewer of them around nowadays. 

Chinese made goods are not known for reliability and longevity. This would hold especially true on Thailand roads, particularly if a strict maintenance program is not adhered to.

 

An inflammatory post and a reply has been removed.