Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O’Cha has ordered the reform of public buses under the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) by hiring Electric Vehicle (EV) buses from private contractors and reducing non-air-conditioned buses.
Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the Prime Minister has followed up on the process of the progress of the clean-energy buses procurement project. According to the report from the Transport Ministry, the EVs public bus services could be provided by August 2022 following the BMTA’s new rehabilitation plan.
The BMTA had initially a short-term action plan to hire private contractors to operate clean-energy buses service with the main purpose of replacing old and dilapidated vehicles, reducing PM2.5 dust pollution, and facilitating the convenience of public travel.
The government would also raise its standard of providing bus care and services to meet the needs of the people and encourage people to use public buses. Thanakorn continued that all of the new buses must have GPS, CCTV cameras, and an E-Ticket system installed for passenger safety.
The spokesperson said: “The technology should be assisted to monitor how many passengers use the service. Whether it was too crowded or too vacant, this data would be processed and analyzed by AI systems in order to solve problems and improve service quickly and accurately.”
