BANGKOK, Thailand – The government is moving forward with its policy to cap fares at 20 baht across all electric train lines. However, the success of this initiative hinges on the swift enactment of the Joint Ticketing System Management Bill, which is essential for increasing public use of rail transportation.
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Suriya Jungrungreangkit, reaffirmed the Ministry of Transport’s commitment to the 20-baht flat fare policy. This policy applies to all color-coded rail lines connecting Bangkok and its suburbs. He noted that the proposed Joint Ticketing System Management Act, which is crucial for unifying all rail lines under this scheme, has faced a delay of about a month. This delay is due to the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the subsequent transition to a new government. As a result, the draft law has not yet been submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
In the meantime, Suriya mentioned that the draft law has been forwarded to the Office of the Council of State for further review before it is presented to Parliament. Once approved by the House of Representatives, the government will establish a fund to compensate private operators who participate in the joint ticketing system.
Suriya expects that other rail lines will adopt the 20-baht fare policy by September of next year.
Additionally, Suriya discussed the Cabinet’s previous approval for the Red Line and Purple Line to implement the flat fare policy within one year, set to expire in November. According to Ministry of Transport regulations, the new Cabinet can automatically extend this policy since the state owns both rail lines. Suriya expressed confidence that this extension would not negatively impact commuters.
A report from the Department of Rail Transport revealed that the number of passengers on the Red Line and Purple Line before the implementation of the 20-baht fare cap, from October 16th, 2022, to June 30th, 2023, totaled approximately 18.8 million trips. Of these, 4.78 million trips were on the Red Line, and 14.03 million trips were on the Purple Line.
Following the introduction of the flat fare policy from October 16th of last year to the end of June this year, the total number of passengers on both lines rose to 23.77 million trips. The Red Line saw an increase to 7.23 million trips, while the Purple Line experienced a rise to 16.53 million trips. Overall, passenger numbers on both lines surged by 68.54%, with the Red Line experiencing a 51.15% increase and the Purple Line a 17.39% rise. (NNT)
