The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has indicated that it may acquire 3,200 electric buses to replace its fleet of fossil-fueled buses within three years.
According to Sorapong Paitoonphong, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Transport, the move is part of the BMTA’s revised business rehabilitation plan.
The BMTA said in 2020 that it planned to purchase 2,800 new buses to replace the outdated buses it currently operates. The modified plan calls for the company’s fossil-fueled buses to be replaced with a new fleet of electric vehicles.
Sorapong added that the transportation agency has not yet decided whether to purchase or lease the electric buses, and that the agency must follow specific procedures before the acquisition can take place.
The BMTA will also reevaluate its proposal to hire a business to repaint 323 NGV buses that will continue to be operated for the next five years.
The BMTA’s business rehabilitation plan which will include details on early retirement for its employees as well as the planned recruitment of drivers and technicians capable of operating and maintaining electric buses, is expected to be finished in about 60 days. (NNT)
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