- Electric buses now carry students to four schools in Nakhon Ratchasima for free, as Korat kicks off a pilot project: EV School Shuttle Service – City Lab Korat on 4 June 2026.
- The Mall Korat, Central Korat and Terminal 21 Korat serve as a Park & Ride hub to reduce school-front gridlock and PM2.5 pollution.
- The pilot initiative is supported by GIZ Thailand and is intended to serve as a scalable model for implementation in cities nationwide.
On 4 June 2026, Nakhon Ratchasima Province officially launched the EV School Shuttle Service – City Lab Korat, at Central Korat. The pilot project will provide electric school shuttle bus services for students in the city area until 31 July 2026. The initiative aims to help reduce traffic congestion around schools, reduce PM 2.5 emissions, improve road safety and support Korat’s transition towards becoming a smart city.
The official launch was attended by key stakeholders, including Khanatchon Sricharoen, Deputy Governor of Nakahon Ratchasima; Dr Yonlanda Wangsuphakijkosol, President of the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administrative Organisation; Dr Wannarat Channakul, Mayor of Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality; and Dr Dominika Kalinowska, Transport Project Director at GIZ Thailand. Representatives from the private sector and civil society organisations also participated in the event. Students, parents and officials had the opportunity to experience the pilot service first demonstration trip.
The electric shuttle service bus service operates free of charge for students and the general public. Central Korat, The Mall Korat and Terminal 21 Korat serve as key connection hubs under the ‘Park & Ride’ concept, allowing commuters to park their vehicles and continue their journeys using public transport. The shuttle buses operate between four education institutions in the city: Anuban Nakhon Ratchasima School, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima School, Suranaree Witthaya School and Nakhon Ratchasima Vocational College. In addition, a special route connects to the Provincial Hall, providing convenient transport for government officials and the general public.
Beyond providing public transport services, the EV School Shuttle Service – City Lab Korat serves as proof-of-concept for ‘Mobility as a Service’ (MaaS) – a model in which shared, clean vehicles replace hundreds of individual private vehicles during peak hours; the initiative helps reduce traffic congestion around schools, improves road safety for students and mitigates PM2.5 air pollution.
The project is supported from GIZ Thailand through the Thai-German Cooperation on Energy, Mobility, and Climate (TGC EMC) programme. As an urban innovation platform, City Lab Korat functions as a living laboratory where sustainable mobility solutions can be tested and refined to support the city’s transition towards becoming a smart city. Following the pilot phase, stakeholders will assess opportunities to expand the service to hospitals, universities, government districts and tourist destinations. Through these efforts, Korat aims to become a more sustainable, liveable and pollution-free city for all.
