Free ride on skytrain from Bearing to Samrong extends to end of year

[webfact]

Free ride on skytrain from Bearing to Samrong extends to end of year

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today officially presided over the opening of the extended BTS train service from Bearing station to Samrong.

 

He also boarded the BTS train at Samrong to Bearing to test the readiness of the extended route.

 

After the opening of the Samrong station to train service, he also asked that low-income earners should also be  allowed to have access to the train service as well.

 

After the prime minister’s opening speech, the Bangkok Rapid Transit Authority (BTS) agree to allow the free ride on the extended route until end of the year.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/free-ride-skytrain-bearing-samrong-extends-end-year/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-04-03

[jadee]

It seems so surreal having the BTS come to Samrong - I first visited in 2005 and even back then the big Imperial World mall at Samrong was in decline. It has seen better days and has been kind of run down and dingy for a long time. Hopefully it will have a 'facelift' as Siri Center did to become Paradise Park on Srinakarin road.Over the past couple of years, the owners have been redoing various sections inside but it still looks like hell on the outside. 

I'm heartened to see the PM consider lower income earners as the BTS is really going into a different socioeconomic neighborhood in Samrong. There are many Thais in the surrounding area who scratch out livings and would consider the BTS an out-of-reach luxury. 

[MaxLee]

1 hour ago, jadee said:

It seems so surreal having the BTS come to Samrong - I first visited in 2005 and even back then the big Imperial World mall at Samrong was in decline. It has seen better days and has been kind of run down and dingy for a long time. Hopefully it will have a 'facelift' as Siri Center did to become Paradise Park on Srinakarin road.Over the past couple of years, the owners have been redoing various sections inside but it still looks like hell on the outside. 

I'm heartened to see the PM consider lower income earners as the BTS is really going into a different socioeconomic neighborhood in Samrong. There are many Thais in the surrounding area who scratch out livings and would consider the BTS an out-of-reach luxury. 

 

But now we have to pay extra 15 Baht from Bearing to City center stations with our Trip passes....... 

[Sphere]

The philanthropy of GoodPeople™ truly has no limits. 

[Kabula]

I tried to go yesterday and the train stopped in Bearing and everyone was told you get off.

 

They should put up the new signs after the track is open to Samrong.

 

Today, I looked for the new updated BTS maps that are usually available and there were none.

 

Very frustrating!

[Formaleins]

4 hours ago, Sphere said:

The philanthropy of GoodPeople™ truly has no limits. 

philanthropy is a myth!

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is never one to miss a good media show. It is always difficult to know whether he his going to crack a grumpy or not.

This probably makes up for him being not being the centre of media attention for being first customer on the long vanished (made in Malaysia) Bangkok blue buses.

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

20 minutes ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

 

This probably makes up for him being not being the centre of media attention for being first customer on the long vanished (made in Malaysia) Bangkok blue buses.

 

Curiously, there was a LONG report on the counterfeit blue NGV buses just the past night or two on the Channel 3 news starting at about 10:45 pm.

 

I'm not fluent in Thai, so I can't say exactly what they were reporting. But I can say, the entire 10 minute or so long report was filled with video of LOTS of blue NGV buses sitting in a big yard somewhere, parked end to end and side by side, and not a single image of any of them moving. All just sitting there empty and seeming un-attended to. Of all the video footage they showed, no one was around the buses, no one was working on them, nothing. Just sitting there like dead wood.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Quote

After the prime minister’s opening speech, the Bangkok Rapid Transit Authority (BTS) agree to allow the free ride on the extended route until end of the year.

Not sure which version of this story is correct.

 

The online version of the BKK Post today says that AFTER the PM made his public remarks about the supposed free rides on the extension till the end of the year, the BMA insisted that the free ride period is only going to be during April.

 

If the BMA/BTS changed their plans after the PM's public comments, the Post hasn't seem to gotten that message as yet.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

30 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Curiously, there was a LONG report on the counterfeit blue NGV buses just the past night or two on the Channel 3 news starting at about 10:45 pm.

 

I'm not fluent in Thai, so I can't say exactly what they were reporting. But I can say, the entire 10 minute or so long report was filled with video of LOTS of blue NGV buses sitting in a big yard somewhere, parked end to end and side by side, and not a single image of any of them moving. All just sitting there empty and seeming un-attended to. Of all the video footage they showed, no one was around the buses, no one was working on them, nothing. Just sitting there like dead wood.

 

 

I see the BKK Post has an article today saying the BMTA plans to appeal AGAINST a court order that ordered them to accept delivery of the NGV buses. Apparently, the BMTA's current position is they don't want the buses that have been imported and are trying to scrap their prior contract with the supplier Bestlin Group.

 

No explanation in the article of WHY they don't want to accept the buses that already have been delivered, and apparently 399 of which one of the private parties involved has already paid the required Customs duty for reflecting that the buses in fact came from China and not ASEAN.

 

It's beginning to sound like another installment of the old, lets have some hundreds of purchased BMA fire trucks and fire boats sit around decaying for years, and not put the new equipment in the field, while the various parties fight in court over who did or didn't do what.

 

[Estrada]

18 hours ago, MaxLee said:

 

But now we have to pay extra 15 Baht from Bearing to City center stations with our Trip passes....... 

It has always been an extra B15 (discounted to B10) from Bearing via Onnuch BTS since that section was still under BMA, the fare being collected by BTS. The BMA pay them a fee to operate that extension.

[victor15]

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I see the BKK Post has an article today saying the BMTA plans to appeal AGAINST a court order that ordered them to accept delivery of the NGV buses. Apparently, the BMTA's current position is they don't want the buses that have been imported and are trying to scrap their prior contract with the supplier Bestlin Group.

 

No explanation in the article of WHY they don't want to accept the buses that already have been delivered, and apparently 399 of which one of the private parties involved has already paid the required Customs duty for reflecting that the buses in fact came from China and not ASEAN.

 

It's beginning to sound like another installment of the old, lets have some hundreds of purchased BMA fire trucks and fire boats sit around decaying for years, and not put the new equipment in the field, while the various parties fight in court over who did or didn't do what.

 

The buses were supposed to come from Malaysia (next to no tax) but it has been proven that the parts came from China and were put together in Malaysia, Thai customs want lots of tax because China is not part of ASEAN. The Thai company wants Malaysia to pay the taxes, because they forged the import papers, saying they were made in Malaysia

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The BK Post article I mentioned above indicated that the private company acting as the middleman for the transaction has already paid the customs duty owed on 399 or so of the buses that have already arrived in Thailand. So at least for that portion of the purchase, outstanding Customs duties should not be an issue.

 

So the issue remains, once the owed Customs duty has been paid at 399 or so buses that have already been delivered, why is BMTA balking at accepting the buses and putting them into service?

 

[bkkcanuck8]

6 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The BK Post article I mentioned above indicated that the private company acting as the middleman for the transaction has already paid the customs duty owed on 399 or so of the buses that have already arrived in Thailand. So at least for that portion of the purchase, outstanding Customs duties should not be an issue.

 

So the issue remains, once the owed Customs duty has been paid at 399 or so buses that have already been delivered, why is BMTA balking at accepting the buses and putting them into service?

 

According to my understanding the contract was specific on the buses origins being ASEAN origin ... specifically Malaysia.  If the terms are in violation then the contract is in violation and the competing bids have a right to seek the process be reopened.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

According to my understanding the contract was specific on the buses origins being ASEAN origin ... specifically Malaysia.  If the terms are in violation then the contract is in violation and the competing bids have a right to seek the process be reopened.

 

Understand that. And meanwhile, some hundreds of fully equipped, completed BMTA NGV buses sit in a yard somewhere collecting dust -- while the same old rusty coffin boxes ply Bangkok's roadways, most without AC.

 

Clearly, the contractors/vendors in this case violated the terms of their contract. But AFAIK, no one is arguing the buses delivered aren't fit for duty and in compliance with the terms of the contract -- except for where they were manufactured.

 

In the end, it's the general public in Bangkok who are the losers in this, while those engaged in the entire contracting process are probably happily counting their skim.

 

Make a financial/legal settlement with the bus contractor/vendors that reflects their violating the terms of the contract. But unless there is something ELSE wrong with the buses, let the completed buses be put into BMTA service and used for the benefit of the general public as they were intended to be.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Understand that. And meanwhile, some hundreds of fully equipped, completed BMTA NGV buses sit in a yard somewhere collecting dust -- while the same old rusty coffin boxes ply Bangkok's roadways, most without AC.

 

Clearly, the contractors/vendors in this case violated the terms of their contract. But AFAIK, no one is arguing the buses delivered aren't fit for duty and in compliance with the terms of the contract -- except for where they were manufactured.

 

In the end, it's the general public in Bangkok who are the losers in this, while those engaged in the entire contracting process are probably happily counting their skim.

 

Make a financial/legal settlement with the bus contractor/vendors that reflects their violating the terms of the contract. But unless there is something ELSE wrong with the buses, let the completed buses be put into BMTA service and used for the benefit of the general public as they were intended to be.

 

They are not BMTA buses unless they fulfill the contract.  Every single company involved in the process, and all companies that were excluded by the nature of those requirements that they could not abide by but now you want to ignore .... have valid claims (and paying each and every one of them hush money to offset costs and future income -- would not be economical).  Just awarding the contract without a proper competition which, is what you are calling for them to do, is a violation of the open bidding system and in fact a corrupt practice.   Rewarding a company or buffering the financial loss of the company who so blatantly violated the terms and tried to corruptly get away with violating the terms of the contract -- is not acceptable.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Who's suggesting that? Not me.

 

I'm suggesting the BMTA and the Thai government penalize the vendor/middlemen involved for violating the terms of the contract, but still accept the buses, at an obviously reduced payout to the vendor/middlemen. Penalty for being late. Penalty for not complying with the terms of the contract. Even go ahead and file criminal and/or civil charges against them for submitting false documents and/or attempted tax evasion.

 

But keep the buses.  Otherwise, what's going to happen to them. And more to the point, how many more years now will it be, beyond the already many years of prior failed bus procurement go-rounds, before the people of BKK get the new, air conditioned, clean burning buses that they deserve? It's not like this was the BMA/BMTA's first rodeo when it came to failed NGV bus contracting.

 

The unfortunate reality here is, the powers that be simply CAN'T do it the right way. There's always going to be some element of corruption, double-dealing, fraud, tampered bidding, etc in these kinds of multi billion baht procurement projects. So to expect them to start the whole thing all over again, and delay the process for years more, is simply throwing more money after bad, and likely accomplishing nothing.

 

At least right now, there are real, AFAIK working, proper buses ready to be put on the streets, notwithstanding where they came from.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK