Transport Co, the state-run inter-provincial bus operator, has set aside 145 million baht to build a station to cope with rising passenger numbers of inter-provincial vans after their relocation to the Mor Chit 2 bus terminal.
The new building and relocation aim to better cope with the large number of van passengers and ease congestion at the bus terminal, Transport Co acting president Amnat Unardngam said yesterday.
He said construction of the building, which will be air-conditioned and located under an expressway opposite the bus terminal, is expected to be completed before all inter-provincial vans are moved to the area on May 1, 2017.
The number of inter-provincial vans at the Mor Chit 2 terminal has risen to over 4,000 since the government launched an operation in October to regulate and relocate vans from Victory Monument and Chatuchak to the city's three bus terminals: Mor Chit 2 bus terminal, for the north and the northeast routes, Sat Tai Mai bus terminal, for southern routes, and Ekamai Bus Terminal, for eastern routes.
The move was part of government efforts to address severe traffic congestion and snarl-ups around the monument and at the skytrain stations.
Pol Gen Amnat said the area for the planned bus station, covering about 30 rai of land, is owned by the State Railway of Thailand and the Expressway Authority of Thailand.
The company will reclaim the area from the stores and tour buses currently occupying the space by Dec 15.
The budget for the building has already been approved by Transport Co's board.
The company is now in the process of forwarding the issue to the Transport Ministry and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board for their consideration, he said.
Currently, passengers who board vans at the terminal currently have to wait outside in hot weather and uncomfortable conditions.
Pol Gen Amnat said that up until now the construction of any new facilities had been difficult because Transport Co was required to return some plots of land to the State Railway of Thailand ahead of its leases expiring at the end of 2019 in preparation of construction of the Bang Sue mass transit central terminal.