BANGKOK, 6 October 2014 Chatchai Phu-aree, the chairman of the association of private bus operators, is set to meet with Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, this week to submit a letter calling for measures to help baht bus operators, known in Thai as Rot Song Taew.
Baht bus operators have complained about their losses as a result of the government’s policy to regulate motorcycle taxis and passenger vans. This has caused an excess number of motorcycle taxis to be released into the street, drawing away their customers.
The Energy Policy Management Committee (EPMC)’s decision to raise the prices LPG and NGV have also caused baht bus operators to shoulder increased transportation costs by 30 percent, as about 40 percent of baht buses run on natural gas instead of petrol.
In a related matter, Mr. Chatchai has requested the government to consider raising the prices of non-air-conditioned buses from 7 baht to 10 baht and air-conditioned buses from 12 baht to 13 baht as well.
So far, 4,000 baht bus operators have decided to suspend their services, as the number of motorcycle taxis being released into the streets to pick up passengers have doubled. In return, it has caused baht buses to lose 70 percent of their customers and their income to decrease by 700-800 baht per day.
