BANGKOK, 26 September 2022 – the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), together with The the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH celebrate their successful collaboration in Thailand’s Sustainable Clean Mobility under the implementation of the Facilitating the development of ambitious transport mitigation actions (TRANSfer) project. organized the closing event of the TRANSfer project in Thailand Over the past five years, OTP and the TRANSfer-Thailand project have jointly engaged with many related agencies to explore alternative solutions for solving the most enduring urban transport issues, i.e., emission mitigation, traffic congestion, and public transport service iImprovement.
Mr. Chayatan Phromsorn, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport stated: “Thailand gives priority to the development and improvement of public transport, such as the expansion of the rail transit system in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area and the electrification of public buses. These projects can help to decrease Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The Ministry of Transport has set the goal to reduce GHG emissions by 31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) target in 2030. With adequate, timely and equitable international support through technology transfer and financial support from climate finance, Thailand can raise its NDC target to 40 percent and achieve the carbon neutrality goal by 2050 or net zero carbon emission target before2065 in accordance with the pledge at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow, the United Kingdom.”
H.E. Georg Schmidt, the German Ambassador to Thailand added: “Electric vehicles (EVs) are an essential impetus for the decarbonization of the transport sector and play a pivotal role in the cooperation between Thailand and Germany on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the Thai-German diplomatic relations. Even though the EV market is just starting to emerge globally and in Thailand, the government should consider encouraging investments and developing business models that are fit for the promotion of fleet electrification as well as providing for the necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations. Capacity building for skilled labor through international collaboration and financial support through climate finance are other crucial drivers.”
Mr. Punya Chupanit, Director General, Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning remarked: “In the past five years, the OTP and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, or GIZ, together with other related agencies, have continuously joined forces to conduct studies in search for solutions to challenging transportation issues, such as congestion and public transport service improvement. Although the TRANSfer project has reached the final chapter, the OTP is still determined to work towards GHG emissions reduction and to continue the legacy of the TRANSfer project through, for instance, the study of the possibility and suitability of a congestion charge scheme in Bangkok and the plan for the establishment of the Clean Mobility Fund to improve public transport services. The finding of the project’s pre-feasibility study showed that if the congestion charge is implemented, it can help to decrease congestion and air pollution and at the same time increase travel speed and the number of commuters on public transport. Moreover, a financial analysis found that the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of an electric public bus is 23 percent lower than that of a fossil fuel public bus, mainly because the dfference between fuel and electricity costs. If 3,200public buses that use natural gas are replaced with electric vehicles, GHG emissions can be reduced by 184,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. However, the improvement of the service quality of public buses still needs support from the government to work out long-term solutions. The support and cooperation that the OTP obtained from the TRANSfer project is a vital part in helping Thailand to reach its GHG emissions reduction target and sustainable transportation. Nevertheless, we will still continue our collaboration with GIZ in other aspects, such as supporting ambitious regulatory and taxation measures to increase the energy efficiency of fleets, fostering the transition to zero-emission vehicles, and updating the NDC Action Plan for the transport sector.”
The challenge is to take the TRANsfer project’s results on these various topics into implementation and to create linkages to future activities of sustainable transport measures. The OTP and GIZ believe that the Closing Seminar of the TRANSfer project will help raise awareness of the importance of implementing mitigation actions in the transport sector to alleviate climate change and disseminate the project results to stakeholders. Though the project has concluded, its results are the start of the development of future measures on GHG emissions reduction in the transport sector in Thailand.