Three-fourths of old YBS buses will be replaced with new ones within four months

19 April 2017
Three-fourths of old YBS buses will be replaced with new ones within four months
People walk in front of a YBS bus at a traffic light during rush hour in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 January 2017. Photo: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA

Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) Secretary Dr.Maung Aung told Mizzima that three fourths of all Yangon Bus System (YBS) city buses would be replaced by new ones within four months.
“By the end of May this year, about three fourths of these YBS buses will be new buses though not yet all,” he said.
Currently over 3,500 city buses are plying bus routes of which about 1,000 buses are brand new buses.
YRTA Secretary Dr.Maung Aung said that about 1,000 buses imported by Bandoola Co. and about 1,000 more buses which would be imported by Metta Hlaing Co. would arrive in Yangon soon.
Dr.Maung Aung added that the brand-new city buses for the public transport system in Yangon Region would be delivered at the end of May so that the number of new buses would be about 3,000 at that time.
The new public transport system called YBS has been in place for 3 months.
According to YRTA, over 1,000 more new buses would be ordered in the second phase.
“The government bought over 1,000 buses so that the number of new city buses will be over 3,000. Actual number we need for public transport system in Yangon Region is about 4,500. We will replace all old buses with new ones,” Dr.Maung Aung said.
Yangon Region Government Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein said that new buses must be replaced in first three months to upgrade the YBS public transport system.
The buses which are currently plying Yangon roads are old buses left from the previous public transport system called ‘Ma Hta Tha’ (All Bus Routes Supervisory Committee) so that Yangon CM Phyo Min Thein ordered these old buses be replaced with new ones.
But YBS currently has just over 1,000 new city buses equipped with air conditioning and CCTV cameras.