BANGKOK, 25 May 2015 – Transport Minister Prajin Juntong revealed that 50 NGV buses are expected to be handed over to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) by July this year as the purchasing contract with a selected supplier is expected soon.
The buses form part of the BMTA project to buy a total of 3,183 buses with a budget of 13.1 billion baht. The BMTA has already conducted negotitiations on prices and maintenance with the agreed supplier. The 50 buses are part of the first 489 NGV buses which must be handed over to BMTA within September 2015.
For the 2,000 remaining buses, the Transport Ministry has set up a committee to conduct a feasibility study on using electric buses instead of the NGV ones. The study is expected to be finished within next two weeks.
In the meantime, the ministry will explore the routing of low-floor buses for special passengers namely persons with disability, elders and pregnant women.
Meanwhile, Minister of Social Development and Human Security Adul Saengsingkaew revealed that the ministry is cooperating with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in conducting a survey on bus routes for those vulnerable people.
According to a preliminary plan, the low-floor buses for disabled persons will run in twenty routes passing more than 1,000 bus stops covering 300 km in distance.
