The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) supports the Transport Ministry’s plan to cap fares for electric train services at 20 baht per trip, states Saree Ongsomwang, TCC secretary-general.
She also suggests that the ministry should allocate an equitable budget for public bus services across all provinces.
In an interview, Ms. Saree mentioned that the 20-baht fare proposal was a key promise of the Pheu Thai party during last year’s election campaign.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also addressed this plan in his “Vision for Thailand 2024” speech.
He proposed that a 20-baht fare cap could be feasible if the government reacquired private electric train operations.
Thaksin suggested that the government could regulate ticket prices and implement congestion charges for cars, using the revenue to subsidize public transport.
Ms. Saree affirmed, “A 20-baht flat fare is certainly achievable,” noting that it would represent a significant reform in the mass transit system.
This initiative is expected to garner significant support, reminiscent of the positive reception to the 30-baht universal healthcare policy.
Ms. Saree explained that the affordability and convenience of the mass transit system would encourage more people to switch from private cars, thus enhancing public transport use. This shift is anticipated to reduce urban pollution, she added.
“Due to concessions granted by the ministry to private businesses for the construction and operation of some electric train lines, the government is now unable to fully implement the flat rate fare,” she said.
“Commuters must pay varying fees while using different train services,” she added.
“One passenger’s round-trip fare from their home to their workplace may total between 100 and 200 baht. Given this cost, many people would rather pay for their own car in installments,” she noted.
The TCC has studied electric train service costs and found that the average fare could be as low as 16 baht per journey if station entrance fees were eliminated.
“The 20-baht flat fare for the whole line is possible when every line is owned by the government,” Ms. Saree stated.
She recommended that the ministry should redirect funds from expressway projects to acquiring electric train concessions from private operators.
If a private firm declines to sell back a concession, the government need not rush; it can wait until the concession’s term ends, like the BTS Green Line’s in 2029.
For newer lines like the Yellow and Pink Lines, negotiations should aim to persuade operators to sell.
Ms. Saree emphasized that concession fees must be fair to both the government and private sectors.
An alternative funding source could be the vehicle registration renewal fees collected by the Land Transport Department, potentially raising around 50 billion baht annually.
This revenue could finance the buyback of train concessions and also support the acquisition of buses for every province.
“Bus purchases typically cost 6 million baht,” she said. “The ministry will need to spend almost 33 billion baht on 5,390 buses if it can buy 70 buses for each of the 77 provinces.”
“More people will benefit if the funds are used in this way rather than if they were used to build an expressway,” she added. “For example, the Expressway Authority of Thailand has a plan to create a double-decker highway project that will cost 34 billion baht.”
She also urged that while urban centers might consider monorail projects, the government should focus on enhancing rural public transport and expanding the secondary transport network in the capital.
The capital city needs to expand its secondary transport network by adding more public buses and boats, enhancing connections to the electric rail services for commuters.
“Every government has an obligation to offer the most efficient, affordable, and convenient mass transit system possible,” she said.
“If the government is successful in accomplishing this, the government will be able to collect money from the fee that private automobile drivers pay to enter the inner parts of the city, which would assist in reducing traffic congestion.”
“All of this is done in accordance with the principle that people’s daily travel expenses must not exceed 10% of the minimum wage,” said Ms. Saree.
