More than three years after it was completed, an automated parking garage at Bali Hai Pier is finally set to open to the public.
The 738-million-baht garage went into “testing” in March 2015 with promises to open a month later. It never did.
Concession holder MP Max Co. suffered huge losses that caused Pattaya City Hall to cancel its contract and take the company to court for damages. For more than a year, the building laid dormant.
Using a computerized-elevator system from by Simmatec Robotic of South Korea, the garage offers 407 parking spaces on seven floors. Three hydraulic “Transo Devices” lift cars into and out of spaces. Plans call for the facility to be expanded to handle boats as well.
Those devices, however, broke down during their long idle time and when Pattaya hired a new company – Pattaya Parking Co. – to take over the facility, the contractor balked until it was fixed.
Pattaya Parking Managing Director Arak Puepae said Sept. 16 that his firm would sign the contract once the work was done and inspected, with the garage’s public opening likely to come within 15 days.
The contract calls for the firm to make an 800,000 baht down payment and pay 210,000 baht a month rent for the first three years.
Arak said drivers would be charged 30 baht per hour or 300 baht per day for over eight hours. The company hopes to supplement its income with a souvenir stand and coffee shop and possibly billboard advertising.
