An e-ticketing system will be up and running on some 800 city buses on Oct 1, transport officials say.
Somsak Hommuang, acting director of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), said the e-ticketing system will be introduced on the first batch of public buses soon.
The BMTA signed a contract on Thursday with bus and truck assembler Cho Thavee Plc, which won a bid to supply and maintain the e-ticketing system worth 1.65 billion baht on 2,600 public buses for five years.
According to Mr Somsak, the system will serve as a long-term boon for the debt-ridden BMTA as it will cut costs and improve efficiency in bus fare collection.
He played down speculation that hordes of people would lose their jobs given the increased automation in ticketing but conceded some may choose to take early retirement.
Some 2,000 staff will advise passengers on how to use the new technology once the system is launched, Mr Somsak said. They will be reassigned later based on their qualifications, he added.
Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit, who presided over the contract-signing, said the new system will make the government’s welfare and subsidy scheme more efficient.
Offering Bangkok commuters a joint ticketing system to link all public transport including the BTS Skytrain, metro and passenger boat services would be even more convenient, he said.
Suradech Taweesaengsakulthai, president and chief executive of Cho Thavee Plc, said all 2,600 BMTA buses would be equipped with the e-ticketing system within 300 days of the contract being signed this week.
The first 800 buses will be upgraded and ready to roll in half this time, he said.
Mr Suradech said the company will lodge a fresh bid to supply 485 natural gas (NGV) buses to the BMTA for 4 billion baht — above the 3.38 billion baht offered by Bestlin Group.
Bestlin originally won the contract to procure the buses but it was revoked in April after the company failed to deliver them on schedule.
According to Mr Suradech, the company was unable to meet the lower price as this did not cover its maintenance costs.
He said the company is interested in bidding to supply 200 electric vehicles to the BMTA and is now in talks with a Chinese supplier about a potential partnership.
The estimated cost of the vehicles is 12 million baht to 15 million baht apiece.
In other news, Kwaithong Motor joined other Thai brands by launching an electric vehicle this year with reports saying it plans to enter the electric-bus market.