June 11, 2008
BANGKOK - To cope with soaring energy prices, the cabinet yesterday approved the leasing of 6,000 public buses for Bangkok that will run on natural gas.
In a bid to deal with rocketing fuel prices and cut pollution, Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved the leasing of 6,000 public buses for Bangkok that will run on natural gas.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will sell its rickety fleet of 3,535 non air-conditioned buses, aiming to lease 3,000 natural gas vehicles in the next few months.
The natural gas-fuelled buses will run on the streets by May 2009.
A second batch of buses will be rolled out by September 2010, and the new fleet will be deployed on 145 routes across Bangkok and its suburbs, according to AFP.
With the new fleet, the BMTA estimates its fuel costs per bus per day will drop from 3,949 baht (118 dollars) to 2,011 baht.
"It will help the BMTA save fuel expenses and it will benefit the BMTA in the long term," the cabinet statement said.
Bangkok is a city known for congested streets but air quality has improved in the past few years as the taxi fleet was forced to switch to natural gas and a new light rail system was built.
In Thailand, prices for premium petrol hit a record high of 40.09 baht per litre on June 4, up from 32.89 baht at the start of the year.
