Akaradej Wongpitakroj, Member of Parliament for Ratchaburi and Chairman of the House Industrial Committee, confirmed during his recent visit to the island that Phuket would lead the initiative, with lessons learned here to be applied in other major provinces such as Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen.
The selection of Phuket was based on the island’s strong tourism growth, chronic traffic congestion and the rising costs facing operators of the ‘Phuket Small Four-Wheeled Cooperative’, which manages around 2,000 tuk-tuks and minibuses.
“Converting small passenger vehicles to EVs will help reduce air pollution in Phuket and lower energy expenses for operators,” Mr Akaradej said.
During the visit, the first prototype electric tuk-tuk was formally handed over to the cooperative. Officials from the Department of Land Transport, Ministry of Industry, the Ratchaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand also attended to show support for the project.
Mr Akaradej explained that the scheme was initiated by a working group under the Industrial Committee. If successful, the conversion programme will be expanded nationwide to other tourism and regional hubs including Udon Thani and Songkhla.
“This is a model for how Thailand can modernise its public transport sector while helping small operators survive high energy costs,” he said.