NGV tank equipment retrofit of taxis way behind target

It will close the project at the end of this month. The move was in line with a Cabinet resolution from August 2009.
The project began in February and stopped receiving applications in August for free retrofitting of NGV tank equipment. The project drew 4,912 applications, far below the targeted 15,000. However, of the applications only 2,285 taxis were completely retrofitted with the equipment. The ministry will urge the remaining applicants, whose taxis are yet to be installed with the equipment, to complete the retrofit this month before the project ends.
The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, Kurujit Nakornthap, said one reason for the project missing its target was taxi drivers’ lack of confidence in the equipment quality.
The ministry procured the equipment from Sor Sirisaeng Co, which won the bid by quoting Bt247.7 million. Although the equipment has been purchased for 15,000 taxis, the ministry will pay the company for the actual number of retrofitted taxis, according to the contract.
The project’s original target was to retrofit 30,000 LPG-fuelled taxis before it lowered the target to 15,000. But implementation of the project was delayed as Auto Pan, which won the bid in the first round, was found to be unable to deliver the system completely by the June 2011 deadline due to a problem with producers of the tanks. Then the ministry terminated its contract and seized its bank guarantee of Bt12.5 million and placed the company on its blacklist. The ministry later launched a new round of bidding, in which Sor Sirisaeng was chosen last December.