Phuket launches City Lab transport trials with electric school buses and smart bus stop

Phuket has launched the City Lab Phuket programme, a transport innovation initiative that is testing new mobility solutions across the island, including an electric school bus pilot and a smart bus stop prototype.

The launch was held at Phuket Wittayalai School this week, with Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn joined by representatives from government agencies, the private sector and transport operators. Among those attending were Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Deputy Director Suwichan Surabal, GIZ Thailand Transport Projects Director Dr Dominika Kalinowska, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation President Rewat Areerob, Phuket City Deputy Mayor Pibulsak Kittithorakun and Phuket Provincial Transport Office Chief Adcha Buachan.

Governor Nirat said Phuket’s worsening traffic congestion is mainly driven by the large number of private vehicles on the roads, and said residents should be encouraged to use alternative forms of transport. He said Phuket’s relatively small geographical area gives it strong potential to develop new transportation systems if all sectors cooperate.

City Lab Phuket is being carried out through cooperation between Phuket Province and the German development agency GIZ under the Thai-German Cooperation Project on Energy, Transportation and Climate Change. Phuket City Development is serving as the local consultant alongside public and private sector partners.

The project is designed as an Urban Living Lab, bringing together government agencies, educational institutions, transport operators, communities and innovation partners to jointly design, test and evaluate urban mobility approaches.

One of the main pilot projects introduced at the launch was the Hub to School programme, which uses electric buses to carry students between transport hubs and schools during peak traffic periods. Officials said the project is intended to cut the number of private vehicles around schools, reduce congestion during morning and afternoon rush hours and ease the burden on parents handling daily school drop-offs and pickups.

The programme began a soft launch on May 18 and will run for one school semester until Sept 30. Two routes are currently operating free of charge during the trial period, with services provided by the PPAO and Phuket Smart Bus Co Ltd.

Officials also unveiled a prototype smart bus stop equipped to display real-time bus location and route information. They said the system is intended to improve convenience and reliability for passengers while modernising Phuket’s transport infrastructure.

The launch marks a further step in the City Lab programme first introduced in Phuket last year under a broader Thai-German partnership focused on sustainable transport and electric vehicle development. In June 2025, Phuket officials, GIZ representatives, transport planners and academic institutions met at Phuket Provincial Hall to start developing practical and scalable solutions aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of urban transportation.