BANGKOK, 2 October 2013 – After the Cabinet approved the extension of free bus and train services for another 6 months, Minister of Transport Chatchart Sittipan stated that the ministry will revamp how the free services will be provided.
Bar-coded identification cards complete with a picture of the cardholders will be issued to low-income citizens to entitle them to the free services provided by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority’s 800 buses. The current free bus service will also be scrapped to resolve the problem of people with high income earners and tourists taking advantage of the scheme.
The ministry and the BMTA will work together in order to come up with a clear criteria in determining who should be classified as lower income earners. Furthermore, an efficient barcode reading system will be installed on all city buses, using the budget earmarked for the scheme, said the transport minister.
