Hanoi (VNA) - Japanese trading house Toyota Tsusho Corp. is acquiring an equity stake in ATP30 Public Co., a commuter bus operator for industrial estates in Thailand, to promote smart mobility for its services.

Toyota Tsusho said last week that the trading arm of the Toyota Motor Corp. group is purchasing a 9.5 percent stake in ATP30 for 64.35 million baht (2 million USD) through its local unit, Toyota Tsusho Thai Holdings Co. The acquisition procedure is set to be completed in early March, a Toyota Tsusho official said.

The partnership will enable Toyota Tsusho to provide ATP30 with its mobility-related digital technologies to boost the safety and efficiency of commuter bus services, mainly for Japanese businesses operating in Thailand.

The company's solutions system will also help optimise bus allocation plans for better vehicle occupancy, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and alleviate traffic congestion, it said.

TT Techno-Park Co., a Toyota Tsusho unit running industrial estate commuter buses in eastern Thailand, is also involved in the smart mobility program being undertaken in three stages.

TT Techno-Park President Takayuki Tatsuta said that the first stage, already in practical use, sets the most efficient bus routes and is designed to help businesses cut commuting expenses by 10 to 20 percent.

The second stage, to be put in place late this year, aims to allocate buses according to the number of plant workers leaving after putting in overtime, Tatsuta said. He added enabling employees to book cyclic buses via smartphones is likely to become operational next year or later, making way for the final phase./.
VNA