Bangkok Mass Transit System plc (BTSC) has emerged as the lowest bidder in the competition for a five-year concession to operate the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) feeder service for its BTS electric railway. The company offered a price of 465 million baht for the contract, while the other contender, Thai Smile, quoted 488 million baht. Deputy Bangkok governor, Wisanu Subsompon, confirmed the price bidding took place on Friday.
The bid evaluation committee of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will now review the details of BTSC’s bid. If the conditions set by the BMA are met, both parties will proceed to sign a contract for the concession.
The winning bidder will be required to deploy a minimum of 23 electric and air-conditioned buses and commence the new BRT service in July of this year. The revised contract will include changes such as buses with doors on both sides to facilitate the pickup of passengers at both BRT bus stops and conventional bus stops. The route will also be extended to reach the intersection of Sathon and Rama IV roads to cater to commuters in inner-Bangkok business areas. The focus of the service will be on offering more frequent buses to minimize waiting times for passengers.
BTSC held the previous BRT concession, which expired in August last year. During the transition period, the BMA has been covering the maintenance costs of the service. Under the previous agreement, BRT collected a fare of 15 baht from around 9,000-10,000 daily passengers, while BTSC generated revenue from advertising fees.
The BRT route spans 16 kilometers from Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Road to the Ratchada-Ratchaphruek intersection, providing passengers with connections to the BTS at Chong Nonsi and Talat Phlu stations.
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