With 10 days left to the delivery date, the company contracted to provide the first batch of 489 NGV air-conditioned buses for Bangkok says it will need a few more days to submit its revised delivery plan to public transport authorities.
Bestlin Group promised to inform the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, the operator of the city's bus services, on Monday of the delivery of the buses after it had received the first warning notice from the agency. However, it postponed the date to submit its revised delivery plan.
“The management of the company has verbally informed us that they had not completed the revision of the delivery plan and asked for two or three more days,” said BMTA director Surachai Eamvachirasakul.
The new buses are meant to be a New Year's gift for Bangkok's commuters but Mr Surachai said he could not say whether they will be delivered as scheduled until the delivery details are forwarded to the BMTA.
Bestlin Group earlier said it was discussing customs tax and fine payments with the Customs Department after the origin of the buses were found to be falsely declared and it could not promise that all the buses would be delivered by Dec 29 as stipulated in the contract.
Mr Surachai said if Bestlin Group fails to deliver the buses by Dec 29, the BMTA will send the second warning notice to it and proceed to fine the company 17,000 baht per bus per day.
If the firm cannot deliver the buses within seven days after the original due date, the agency will issue the third notice which specifies how many more days the company will be given to hand over the buses. The contract will be terminated if the company again fails to meet the deadline.