Bangkok bus authority will have old buses improved to extend their services

BANGKOK, Feb 6 (TNA) -- The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will have 600 old buses of its fleet improved to extend their services. Acting BMTA director Pranee Sukrasorn said that the state enterprise was determining median prices for the makeover of ordinary buses and air-conditioned buses and would stage a bidding contest to select a contractor for the task. She said that the bus improvement would include engine replacement and the installation of security cameras, positioning devices and automatic doors for passengers' safety. She expected the BMTA to hand old buses to its contractor mid this year onwards and said the task should be completed within nine months afterwards. The BMTA has another project to equip 2,600 new buses with a global positioning system. Terms for a bidding contest for the project would be concluded in March and the installation should be completed within this year, Ms Pranee said. The GPS could be operated together with displays at bus stops of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration so that commuters would know when their buses would arrive and which buses would reach them next, she said. (TNA)