In a bid to enhance the current quality of public transportation in Bangkok, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced BRT improvement plans to continue the city’s bus service after the concession held by the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) expires on the last day of August.

 

The BMA’s commitment to maintaining and improving the BRT service was affirmed by Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt during an interview with Isara News Agency. He highlighted the BMA’s intent to augment the frequency of bus stops and procure additional buses to boost commuter convenience.

 

“There’s an urgent need for improvements”, remarked the governor, emphasising the operational gaps in the service. Out of the 25 BRT buses currently under operation, only 10 are functional, leading to longer waiting periods, often up to fifteen minutes, for commuters to catch a ride.

The governor also drew attention to the frequent encroachments by private vehicles onto lanes designated for the BRT service, particularly during peak hours on Rama III Road. Such infringements cause significant delays in bus service delivery.

 

by Mitch Connor

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

 

#news

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/bangkoks-brt-service-to-continue-with-13m-funding-boost-and-improvements

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-07-10

 

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mitch.....you mean operating cost and not funding boost....as laid out in the article ? 

Gotta admit to having a sentimental spot for those rickety red buses with wooden floors, all windows opened . . .

 

 

Hope they finally get rid of those red mid-20th centuryish horrors.  That's all I ever see on the road in my part of Bangkok.  Where are all these new buses, I wonder.

Just to clarify, this announcement has nothing at all to do with normal Bangkok bus services, or with the old red buses that still belch black smoke all over the capital. The Bus Rapid Transit line is meant to take the place of a train line, with limited stops, all-door boarding from platforms, pre-payment of fares, and priority running along streets.

 

Unfortunately, the Bangkok BRT has never been a "real" BRT, as city authorities don't want to implement features that would inconvenience motorists, such as dedicated lanes or signal priority at traffic lights. (This is a common problem around the world, not just in Bangkok.)  In addition, Bangkok made the odd decision to use small buses on its BRT, rather than the long articulated buses normally used on BRT systems to achieve greater passenger capacity. 

 

it's therefore kind of surprising that they're talking about "introducing smaller, electricity-powered buses into the fleet" and "incorporat[ing] additional BRT stops near pedestrian crossings", both of which seem to be steering the system into being less of an actual BRT and more of a garden variety bus service.

14 hours ago, webfact said:

Out of the 25 BRT buses currently under operation, only 10 are functional...

Yowza.  Running at less than 50% capacity?  That can't be good.