True tapped for nationwide roll-out of GPS system in public vehicles

The system is expected to progressively cover these vehicles over the next few years.
Sanith Phromwong, director general of the department, said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with True to develop the tracking system for the public vehicles – including taxis, trucks and cars – nationwide. The system was aimed at improving the quality of transport and logistics services, while improving safety, Sanith said.
The vehicles will be equipped with the tracking system, with a GPS tracking system to be set up in the Land Transport Department and at branch offices in all provinces.
The system will allow official to monitor the speed of the equipped vehicles, among other benefits.
Vichaow Rakphongphairoj, co-president for commercial management of True Corp, said that under the collaboration, True would develop and provide the GPS tracking system and mobile SIM cards that were also part of the arrangement.
At present, True makes a form of the GPS tracking system available for use with public vehicles under two services, including one with a an service charge of Bt600 a month.
For providers of public vehicles, the have the option of using the SIM card so that the department can track the vehicles via the True 3G and 4G networks; these users pay a service charge of Bt60 per month.

“I think that the GPS tracking system is very useful for the public and for the transport industry in the country,” Sanith said.
“Often, the drivers of public vehicles that are not equipped with a GPS tracking system go faster than the speed limit.
“But for vehicles equipped with a tracking system, only about 5 per cent of drivers are found to have exceeded the speed limit.
“As result, the GPS tracking system |makes drivers much more concerned about the legal speed at which they should drive |and this improves the safety of public transport.”
Sanith said that by the end of this year, the department aimed to have 300,000 public vehicles fitted with the GPS tracking system. By the end of next year, it would have 500,000 such vehicles covered. 
The remaining vehicles would be fitted out over the next years, Sanith said.
The 800,000 public vehicles in Thailand include 100,000 taxis and 500,000 trucks.