BANGKOK, Thailand – The Ministry of Transport is considering implementing a congestion charge on six heavily trafficked roads in Bangkok to generate revenue for a new public fund aimed at purchasing back mass transit concessions. The plan would reduce fares on all train lines to a flat rate of 20 baht per trip.
The proposed congestion charge, modeled after systems used in countries like the UK, would levy a fee on vehicles using specific roads during peak traffic hours. Preliminary studies suggest that around 700,000 vehicles use the selected routes daily, which could generate up to 35 million baht per day, or 12 billion baht annually. This revenue would go towards the Infrastructure Fund, which aims to raise 200 billion baht over 30 years to buy back rail concessions and ensure affordable fares for the public.
The six routes under consideration for the congestion charge are:
- Phetchaburi-Thonglor intersection, with 60,112 vehicles per day.
- Silom-Narathiwat intersection, with 62,453 vehicles per day.
- Sathorn-Narathiwat intersection, with 83,368 vehicles per day.
- Pathumwan intersection (Phaya Thai and Rama 1), with 62,453 vehicles per day.
- Ratchaprasong intersection (Ratchadamri and Ploenchit), with 56,235 vehicles per day.
- Pratunam intersection (Ratchadamri and Phetchaburi), with 68,473 vehicles per day.
The data, collected in 2023, reflects traffic between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Ministry of Transport expects that the introduction of congestion fees will reduce traffic on these routes.
Director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), Panya Chupanich, confirmed that the OTP is collaborating with the UK’s UKPact Fund to further study the congestion charge model. The full study is expected to be completed by mid-2025, in line with the government’s plan to expand the 20-baht flat fare policy across all train lines, as spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit.
This initiative aims to promote more accessible public transportation while reducing congestion in key areas of Bangkok.
