The entire fleet of 350 natural gas-fuelled vehicles (NGV) buses operated by Thai Smile Bus (TSB) company will be decommissioned by the end of the month as part of the firm's policy to promote clean air and environmental sustainability.
Kulpornpath Wongmajarapinya, TSB chief executive officer, said more than 95% of the NGV buses have already been taken out of service, with the latest batch of 58 buses removed from service on Monday.
So far, a total of 334 NGV buses have been decommissioned and the remaining 16 will be taken out service by the end of this month, she said, adding the move is part of the company's initiative to support net zero emissions.
Ms Kulpornpath said TSB plans to procure another 1,000 electric buses this year, which will bring its EV fleet to 3,100. Currently the company deploys 2,100 electric buses along 123 routes in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, serving between 250,000-280,000 passengers a day.
She said Thai Smile Boat company will also reintroduce the "Metro Line", a shuttle passenger boat service between Sathon pier and Rama VII pier on the Chao Phraya River in the first quarter of this year.
Currently, there are 35 electric boats operating on the Chao Phraya River accommodating more than 5,000 passengers per day, she said, noting the company will procure nine more electric boats this year, bringing the total to 44.
The company is gearing up to providing tourist boat services throughout the year, Ms Kulpornpath said.