A fleet associated with electric vehicle (EV) buses will take on the route previously plied by the old Number 8 buses that are ceasing operation, according to the Department of Land Transport (DLT).
The new buses will hit the road through Aug 20 and the curtain will be drawn on the old Number 8s, which have failed to pass the standard of operation under a sweeping reform of bus routes being released by the DLT across Bangkok.
The all non-air-conditioned No . 8 buses run from Content Land in the eastern outskirts of the town to Memorial Link, covering a distance of 30 kilometres, said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob.
The Number 8 route will be renamed Route 2-39. Initially, 20 ELECTRONIC VEHICLES buses will be used on the route from an overall of 40 busses. The changes will discover old buses being progressively replaced by vehicles which are eco-friendly.
The transport minister mentioned the DLT has instructed the Bangkok Mass Transit Specialist (BMTA) and its co-operators to consider launching a lot more EV buses on the routes. Transport Co Ltd, which functions interprovincial buses, will also follow suit.
By the end of this year, the ministry targets deploying at least 1, 000 community EV buses in and outside Bangkok. The agency originally planned to have three or more, 200 EV busses in service nationwide.
DLT director-general Chirute Visalachitra, in the mean time, said the section was working to tackle confusion by commuters from the re-numbering associated with bus routes. A public relations campaign has been set up both online and offline to clear upward any doubts as to the changes being produced, he added.
A source in the Transport Ministry said Thai Smile Coach (TSB) has earned the concession to replace the operator of the No . 8 tour bus route.