BANGKOK, 27 September 2013 The Ministry of Finance will propose to the Cabinet that free train and bus services be extended until March next year under a budget of over two billion baht.
The Ministry of Finance said it would request the Bureau of the Budget to allocate a 2.08-billion-baht budget for the six-month extension of free train and bus rides for commuters. 800 buses a day would continue their free services on 73 routes in Bangkok. The ministry projected that out of the total budget, 1.5 billion baht would be spent to fund the free bus project extension.
The free train project, meanwhile, will continue to be operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). Another budget of 530 million baht has been estimated to finance the operations of free third-class trains.
Furthermore, the Finance Ministry has asked the Ministry of Transport to find more assistance measures which will truly benefit the people before the free bus and train program ends.
