Thai Smile to decommission all NGV buses this month

Thai Smile Group CEO Kulpornphat Wongmacharpinya, said the ultimate goal of her group is to use only electric buses and boats to support Thailand’s low carbon emission goal. Thai Smile Group owns both Thai Smile Bus and Thai Smile Boat.

When Thai Smile took over private bus operations in Bangkok, it bought 350 NGV buses, but 95% of them have been decommissioned.

Kulpornphat said Thai Smile Bus decommissioned an additional 57 NGV buses from its Pak Kret station on January 1, leaving only 16 NGV buses to be decommissioned this month.

Thai Smile Bus will this year introduce smaller electric buses of an eight-metre length in order to supplement its 12-metre bus fleet. This would enable Thai Smile buses to run more frequently to shuttle Bangkok commuters in accordance with the Transport Ministry’s “Quick Win” policy to better serve the public, Kulpornphat said.

She added that Thai Smile Boat company would resume electric boat services on the Metro Line within the first quarter of this year.

The shuttle boats will be powered by electricity and will support tourism in Bangkok. The company will also promote tourism activities by boats throughout the year, including taking city residents to worship at nine temples in one day, or to visit the Bang Krachao (“lungs of Bangkok”) jungle oasis, the CEO added.