Bangkok's bus fleet procurement: why Scania, Volvo opt out

[Chonburiram]

Scania Siam never had a NGV Bus in the Thai market and they are not able to produce busses in the price range 3.8 - 4.5 million ฿. So what? Stupid whingers.

Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania...

[Jim walker]

I hope it is the dropdown platform busses so that they can pick up wheelchair bound passengers or will it just end up with some cheap Chinese copy of a 1946 Volvo from the Ting Tong bus company in china with especially built Smokey diesel engines so that spares can be used from the old Bangkok busses to keep up the lovely high pollution levels in Bangkok.

[Beng]

They want quality tourists to ride on sub-standard buses ? Of course, amazing Thailand.

[sprq]

its about time to replace those many decade old smoky buses poising the bangkok population everyday...

No, I love them, an essential part of the city's ecology -- and there's no corruption with them, just honest-to-goodness antique charm.

[Benmart]

Transparency seems as elusive as taking care of the publics tax money.

[klauskunkel]

wouldn't have worked out anyway.

High quality buses with cutting edge tech and superior safety standards...on those roads, operated by those drivers, in that traffic?

Nah, Chinese quality is what's needed!

[cornishcarlos]

3000 ish buses at approx 4 mil each = about 12 billion... So how is the deal worth approx 29 billion to the winning bidder ?

[Sviss Geez]

its about time to replace those many decade old smoky buses poising the bangkok population everyday...

Obviously you haven't seen a Bangkok bus recently, no smoke from LPG/NGV powered buses.

[Sviss Geez]

Imagine Chinese-made Bus crash in Thailand, a real massacre. We all know how strong chinese made cars (Cherry?) from NCAP yes?

Chery cars will not be used as buses so the strength of those cars is irrelevant.

[bikerbri]

European and American companies caught handing out brown envelopes would face jail time. Not too sure about the Chinese. Well done Volvo and Scania.Nice to hear there are some companies with credibility.

[Sydebolle]

Both companies belong to the world's best producers of public bus transport vehicles and follow among the most stringent laws in the world.

If THEY opt not to participate in the tender, then I can only wish the tax payers of Bangkok GOOD LUCK as they are taken, once more again and possibly not for the last time, on a fantastic ride on the Thai politicians merry-go-round.

The writing is on the wall ............... but the voters turned blind eyes for decades to the reality and now have to face the music.

[wabothai]

Although Scania and Volvo are the most driven quality craftcars in Europe, they are not good enough. Chinese much better !

But when the sh.. really hits the fan (Thailand taken over by the Chinese), you politicians are retired in comfort, so who gives a f...?

[tomacht8]

Maybe they can change there quality rice in storehouses against some quality busses from china.

Who buys cheap, usually buys twice.
Buy a buss for 5 Mio. with a lifetime of 5 years or
buy a buss for 8,5 Mio with a lifetime of 10 years.

At a cost-benefit analysis, the authorities are not interested.
The decision makers have only one question: "Where is the most money for me, here and right now."

[asdecas]

I cannot think what fellow posters are complaining about; having returned to Bangkok after several years away, I find that the jointly-operated mini buses that duplicate many routes operated by the BMA have been upgraded. No more asphixiating belches of black smoke, no danger of being crushed by falling bodywork, no longer are they '60s vintage but they've been upgraded to the 1980s.

And all for a modest eight Baht, hardly more than when I left.

Now if they could only wean the ADHD-prone drivers off ya ba and look thung.....

[ExPratt]

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3000 ish buses at approx 4 mil each = about 12 billion... So how is the deal worth approx 29 billion to the winning bidder ?

Does seem quite a large mark up for 100+% profit, They would usually have a Defect liability period , say 2 years. Plus where are the buses being made if they are to be shipped then that wont be cheap. Probably for the winning company setting up a factory in Thailand could be practical

[In Search of Space]

It needs more major company's to refuse to bid on projects which appear corrupt. It is a difficult, but wise decision

[larsjohnsson]

Well done Volvo and Scania for not paying bribes.

[EyesWideOpen]

The sun will rise tomorrow, and sometime in the future Bangkok will be

full of Chinese busses. Not really even sure why they undergo the sham of

bidding......

[JOC]

Scania Siam never had a NGV Bus in the Thai market and they are not able to produce busses in the price range 3.8 - 4.5 million ฿. So what? Stupid whingers.

Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania...

"Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania..."

Hate to spoil your day but:

Scania Siam is a wholly-owned subsidary of Scania Sweden.

Nothing to confuse, it is the same company!!

[tomacht8]

This public tender reminds me of the tablets for school children.
Does there still working any devices?

[JOC]

Scandia is a sore loser. They don't make the product Thailand is requesting, "Cng/NGV powered", so they trash the buyer. I wonder does Volvo make a Cng buss?

The only sore loser here is you!!

Scania do indeed make "Cng/NGV powered buses.http://newsroom.scania.com/en-group/2014/10/29/scania-launches-new-gas-bus-for-bus-systems/

They just don't want to get involved in the dirty Thai game: Corruption and decades in Thai courtrooms to get paid!!

[JAG]

its about time to replace those many decade old smoky buses poising the bangkok population everyday...

No, I love them, an essential part of the city's ecology -- and there's no corruption with them, just honest-to-goodness antique charm.

Those "Hino" things seem pretty well indestructible any way, why not fit them with cleaner engines?

By the way, what happened to those green minibuses, you know, the ones which provided employment to all the local psychopaths?

[Chonburiram]

Scania Siam never had a NGV Bus in the Thai market and they are not able to produce busses in the price range 3.8 - 4.5 million ฿. So what? Stupid whingers.

Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania...

"Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania..."

Hate to spoil your day but:

Scania Siam is a wholly-owned subsidary of Scania Sweden.

Nothing to confuse, it is the same company!!

Dream on...

[peptidebomber]

The junta should use it as a road safety campaign and buy the safest ones. I know Bkk buses don't cause many fatalities but it would be a good positive message. Busses in Thailand are death traps.

It's my main concern about living in Thailand something that shouldn't be accepted as not our (foreigners) problem.

The biggest killer of young men in Thailand is road accidents not protests or terrorists.

Kill two birds with one stone, fix the corruption in the order process and use it also as a crackdown on busses and all &lt;deleted&gt; road rules.

Thirty people dead a day and it's not even a issue that has been raised.

[Don Aleman]

Considering the anti corruption probes going on I don't think it's a matter of bribes but merely the normal stupidity in doing business.

[jamhar]

Those are pretty expensive suppliers, even to western countries.

How they thought the could get into the Thai market, i have NO idea.

But then again, there is a sky train in bkk, so maybe not so unrealistic after all.

[JOC]

Scania Siam never had a NGV Bus in the Thai market and they are not able to produce busses in the price range 3.8 - 4.5 million ฿. So what? Stupid whingers.

Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania...

"Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania..."

Hate to spoil your day but:

Scania Siam is a wholly-owned subsidary of Scania Sweden.

Nothing to confuse, it is the same company!!

Dream on...

http://www.scania.co.th/about-scania/scania-in-brief/

Looking forward to your reply!!

[brfsa2]

Corruption all over the place... Thailand will never move forward and will stay 3rd world forever with the mentality.

[MaiChai]

Why would they tender for non aircon buses when temperatures reach up to 40 degrees C? Maybe buses are for the poor like SRT trains? Or condos are for mosquitoes? The rich would rather be stuck in traffic in their aircon cars?

[EyesWideOpen]

Scania Siam never had a NGV Bus in the Thai market and they are not able to produce busses in the price range 3.8 - 4.5 million ฿. So what? Stupid whingers.

Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania...

"Do not confuse Scania Siam with Scania..."

Hate to spoil your day but:

Scania Siam is a wholly-owned subsidary of Scania Sweden.

Nothing to confuse, it is the same company!!

Dream on...

http://www.scania.co.th/about-scania/scania-in-brief/

Looking forward to your reply!!

Knockout punch in favor of JOC !!! :-)