After being kept in the dark for decades, some Bangkok commuters will in September know in advance which buses are coming to them and when.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) expected the installation of tracking devices on buses and electronic displays to inform commuters of their incoming buses at bus stops would begin this September.
BMTA director Surachai Eamvachirasakul said on Monday that the state enterprise already announced terms of bidding for the bus-tracking system that would cover 2,600 buses. A contractor is expected to be chosen in September.
Under the project worth about 600 million baht, the BMTA would lease the system to track passenger buses and show arrival information on screens at bus stops, Mr Surachai said.
The installation for all equipment will take six months. But initially, 500 passenger buses would be fitted with tracking devices and electronic displays installed at six locations: four around the Victory Monument and two at the Mo Chit station of the BTS electric railway, Mr Surachai said.
He also said that the BMTA was selling bidding documents for the 489 natural gas-fuelled buses it was planning to buy within a budget of 1.7 billion baht, with tenders due on July 8.