Bangkok BRT-

Almost three years ago, in May 2010, the first line of Bangkok’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system went into operation, thus making Bangkok the first city in Thailand to have a BRT system. Launched with the aim of improving urban mobility, this project has thus far failed to ease congestion. Nonetheless, if the system were able to improve its performance in due course, then it could be replicated in other cities not only in Thailand, but also in the region.

Need for BRT

Bangkok is the hub of economic activity and growth in Thailand. Spread across an area of 1.56 million square km, the city with a population of over 6.5 million has seen many improvements in urban transport and mobility. However, road traffic congestion remains a major challenge for most commuters. As of 2009, the average speed of private vehicles along the main streets of Bangkok during rush hour is about 19.4 km per hour in the mornings and 23.9 km per hour in the evenings. These figures have remained the same for quite some time.

The city plans to further develop its public transport system in order to establish an integrated rapid transit system of bus and rail services, as stated in the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Investment Plan.

“…a BRT network integrated into the existing public transport system including the Bangkok mass transit system (BTS) and mass rapid transit (MRT) is expected to drastically improve the mobility of low-income households through access to better and more affordable transport services. The BRT will also be more cost effective and has a lower energy requirement than the MRT.”

Though the city had focused on developing MRT systems led by the metro rail service over the last decade, it has been concluded that rail projects are expensive with a long lead time.

Project scope

The objective of the Bangkok BRT project is to link the city’s various mass transit systems and provide an integrated public transportation service for the city and its suburbs with a 250 km BRT network that comprises 14 routes. Network development will be carried out in phases. Initially, Phase I involved the construction of the 110 km network that covered five routes. However, in September 2010, the 14 km Mor Chit–Pak Civil Service Complex route was cancelled, as its alignment would overlap with the proposed 36 km Pink line of the Bangkok subway. Other BRT lines will be linked to the existing Skytrain, subway lines, and planned MRT lines. One BRT line will also be connected to the Suvarnabhumi airport rail link.

Current status

Currently, only one line of the BRT system – the 15 km route running from Sathon to Ratchaphruek – is in operation. The system started operations on May 29, 2010. Although the infrastructure had been ready three years earlier, legal and political issues over bus procurement delayed commencement of operations until 2010.

The two terminal stations of the trunk line are Sathorn and Ratchaphruek. Through its subsidiary, Krungthep Thanakom Company Limited, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) awarded a seven-year bus operation and station maintenance contract of the BRT to Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC) in 2010.

Infrastructure: Currently, stations catering to opposite directions are not linked because a large part of the trunk line is located along an existing canal. In addition, bus capacity is limited, as only one bus can dock at a time and existing buses have a single door. In the near future, this limitation may increase the dwell time from the current 20–30 seconds when the system expands and ridership increases. However, by the end of its first year of operation, the average daily ridership of the BRT stands at 15,000, lower than the initial target of 20,000.

Provision of feeder service: Currently, the BRT does not have dedicated feeder services. An option to develop a feeder bus service, with some unique features to easily identify the service, is being explored. The feeder service could also be integrated with other modes of transport such as the BTS Skytrain and MRT subway to cover the entire city.

Technology: At present, a mechanical wheel-based system is used to guide the bus during docking at the station. Stations have a special extra curb in place to direct the wheels into bus bays.

Features of the BRT corridor

Buses: The BRT fleet consists of about 25 Euro III-compliant buses, each with a capacity of up to 80 passengers. The average speed of the buses is 30 km per hour. The average peak headway of 5 minutes increases to 10 minutes during non-peak hours. Manufactured by China-based Shanghai Sunlong Bus Company Limited, all buses are 12 metres long with level boarding and air-conditioning.

Stations: The stations have high platforms to enable level boarding. All stations are equipped with electronic displays to provide information about the next vehicle, including the time of arrival. Stations have a 3 metre wide single door that allows just one bus to dock at a time.

Segregation of bus lanes: The BRT line is segregated from common traffic in most places, except for a few stretches. It goes over four overpasses or bridges on which the BRT route is not physically segregated (the BRT lane is marked with striped lines).

Fare: Since January 2011, a distance-based fare structure has been adopted: fares range from 12 baht to 20 baht (1 baht = $0.0321). No fare was collected during the initial launch period; subsequently, a flat fee was charged for a brief period.

Operations: The project is being developed by BMA. In 2010, Krungthep Thanakom, a wholly owned subsidiary of BMA, engaged BTSC to operate and procure buses for the BRT. The contract duration is seven years. According to the terms of the contract, BMA receives its revenue from fares, while BTSC obtains a pre-agreed annual fee (535 million baht in bus operations and maintenance [O&M] fees and 737 million baht in station management fees) from the BMA. In return, BTSC bears the O&M expenses and the capital investment for the buses. BTSC’s commitments with respect to project operations stood at 161 million baht in March 2012. In 2010–11, BTSC witnessed 62 per cent growth in income amounting to 316 million baht from the provision of operation management, primarily due to the commencement of Bangkok’s BRT services in May 2010.

Pilot corridor costs

The first corridor was implemented at a cost of over 2,440 million baht (153 million baht per km). A breakdown of the total costs:

  • Developing infrastructure (stations, intelligent transport systems, automatic fare collection depots, and gas stations): 2,000 million baht;
  • Planning the system: 436 million baht; and
  • Renting truck vehicles: 7 million baht.

 

Future promise

The BRT system has a lot of potential for better integration with the subway and Skytrain infrastructure, services, and fare systems. With better transport integration, ridership on the BRT will increase, thus reducing the need for personal vehicles. Moreover, BMA and BTSC should also explore ways to encourage individuals using non-motorised transport such as bicycles to use the BRT route. For instance, secure parking facilities for bicycles can be provided.

However, thus far, the ridership on the BRT has failed to meet expectations; and hence, any further endeavours to integrate it with other forms of public transport do not seem to be on the cards. One possible reason for the lower-than-expected ridership is the relatively small number of offices in the vicinity of the Sathorn–Ratchaphruek route; hence, the BRT has not been able to attract many daily office commuters. In fact, motorists have reportedly complained that the pilot corridor is worsening traffic in the area.

Thus, there is clearly a need for integrated mobility planning in the city in which the BRT can be included holistically. As the cost of setting up a BRT system is low, it has tremendous promise for expansion in Bangkok and other cities that face congestion. However, the results to date have been disappointing but these are early years and better traffic planning may yet turn this project around.