Bangkok’s ageing cream-and-red buses will not disappear entirely when the capital shifts to electric public transport, with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) planning to retain around 700 vehicles for floods, emergencies and other special assignments.
BMTA Director Kittikan Chomdoung Charuworapolkul said the agency will select the strongest vehicles from its remaining fleet of about 1,520 Bangkok cream-red buses by December. Those chosen will undergo major refurbishment, including engine work and exhaust-system improvements to meet environmental standards.
The non-air-conditioned buses have been in service for around 35 years. They were previously expected to be phased out as BMTA introduces a new electric fleet, but their performance during recent flooding has prompted the agency to reconsider.
The refurbished vehicles would become a special reserve fleet as the BMTA considers using them to transport people during floods, support major events, respond to requests from public or private organisations and provide alternative transport when urban rail services are disrupted.
Recent flooding highlighted one advantage of the older vehicles. BMTA deployed cream-and-red buses on routes where water was too deep for lower-floor vehicles, while moving less suitable buses to unaffected areas.
Kittikan told PPTV that BMTA’s flood response plan assesses conditions according to water depth, with individual routes requiring close monitoring once water exceeds 50 centimetres. The older buses can operate in deeper water than many newer vehicles, although BMTA considers levels above about 80 centimetres impassable.
The experience prompted calls from passengers to preserve at least part of the familiar fleet. Kittikan said the buses retain practical value during abnormal conditions as well as being a recognisable part of Bangkok’s transport history.
BMTA is also considering other uses for retired vehicles, including converting some into tourist buses or cafes at bus depots. Those ideas remain under study, with refurbishment costs and other details yet to be finalised.
The plan does not alter BMTA’s move towards electric buses for regular passenger services. The authority is due to receive 1,520 air-conditioned EV buses under a seven-year lease, with the first 500 scheduled for delivery in March 2027, another 500 in April and the remaining 520 in May.
The government is also pursuing another 800 electric buses, with the wider plan intended to move BMTA’s normal operations entirely towards EVs by the end of 2027.
The Bangkok cream-red buses that survive the transition would therefore no longer be everyday public transport. Instead, around 700 could gain a second life as a standby fleet for situations where their age, higher floor and rugged construction still offer an advantage.
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