Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachot announced progress in replacing Thailand’s non-air-conditioned public buses with new electric, air-conditioned vehicles. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) plans to lease 3,040 electric buses in an initial phase valued at 15.4 billion THB, pending cabinet approval by December 2024. BMTA anticipates deploying the first 500 buses by late 2025, depending on procurement and contracting timelines. A second phase involving 1,520 buses will be structured as a public-private partnership (PPP) to accelerate modernization.
BMTA Director Kittikarn Chomduang stated that new government funding will, for the first time, cover BMTA’s operational costs. This shift is expected to improve BMTA’s financial stability, reducing annual repair costs from 1.7 billion THB to 1 billion THB, and energy costs from 2 billion THB to 700 million THB, achieving annual savings of 2.5 billion THB. The improved financial management is projected to reduce BMTA’s annual losses, with the 2024 deficit expected to be the lowest in recent years at 2.9 billion THB. Additionally, to cut workforce expenses, fare collectors will be reassigned as drivers, reducing total staffing from 14,000 and minimizing annual personnel costs of 4 billion THB.