by Krajangwit Johjit

    

BANGKOK (NNT) - Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is moving forward with a plan to hire a private company to operate a 400-bus electric-vehicle fleet.

 

BMTA CEO Kittikan Chomdoung Charuworapolkul said as part of its rehabilitation plan, the agency would hire a private company to procure 400 electric buses, as well as drivers and fare collectors, to serve passengers at BMTA’s eight bus terminals.

 

According to Kittikan, the budget for the plan is allocated from the BMTA’s revenue set aside for maintenance and gasoline costs, as well as the state subsidy for public service obligations.

 

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The BMTA CEO dismissed a claim by the BMTA’s labor union that the executive board was overspending on hiring a private company to operate the EV fleet, which cost more than 6,000 baht per bus per day.

 

He explained that the BMTA was paying the same amount of money for its current fleet of standard red-and-beige buses.

 

The BMTA’s rehabilitation plan, which was recently approved by its executive board, calls for a private concessionaire to operate 400 electric buses.

 

An auction is scheduled for May to select the concessionaire, and the winner is required to begin procuring EV buses by October, with at least 30 percent of the fleet being procured within a year.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-04-22

 

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and the owner of this private company will be ?

 

laundering 101

Will they be sitting on the docks for  years after someone forgot to mention where they were "assembled"

Makes sense but will the riled workforce stop it. The current service might be cheap but its also atrocious.

Does Japan have some old EV Buses to donate already? I can't imagine the BMTA not squeezing another 20 years out of the current rusty, diesel spewing buses from the 70's era until there are sufficient second hand Japanese vehicles available for donation. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the agency would hire a private company to procure 400 electric buses, as well as drivers and fare collectors, to serve passengers at BMTA’s eight bus terminals.

Another monster in the making.

47 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Another monster in the making.

Could be well on offshooot of the conglomerate with the two letters, that starts with C

Thai Smile Bus partly owned by Chinese BYD (manufacturer of electric buses) had been operating 120 fully electric buses in Bangkok's public transport system.

In 2015 Thailand Loxley Plc. in cooperation with BYD to market the K9 electric bus (assembled in Thailand?) and build four charging stations in Greater Bangkok.

What is there to seek?

 

 

22 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Thai Smile Bus partly owned by Chinese BYD (manufacturer of electric buses) had been operating 120 fully electric buses in Bangkok's public transport system.

In 2015 Thailand Loxley Plc. in cooperation with BYD to market the K9 electric bus (assembled in Thailand?) and build four charging stations in Greater Bangkok.

What is there to seek?

 

 

more money for those clowns in charge (actually their wifes and relatives, since politicians can't register companies)

On 4/22/2022 at 3:22 PM, Aussieroaming said:

Does Japan have some old EV Buses to donate already? I can't imagine the BMTA not squeezing another 20 years out of the current rusty, diesel spewing buses from the 70's era until there are sufficient second hand Japanese vehicles available for donation. 

    Ha.  So true!   Last time we were in Bangkok my fiftysomething partner pointed out one of those un-airconditioned absolute horrors and said he rode them to school when he was young.