Private bus operators in Bangkok are pulling their vehicles off the roads while they wait for news of whether the government will approve their request for a three-baht fare increase.
They say the fare rise is needed to help them cope with increasing fuel prices for natural gas vehicles (NGV).
The operators plan to hand a petition to the Transport Ministry today, said Phattharawadi Klomcharoon, president of the Private Bus Operators Association.
"More than 1,000 buses have stopped plying their routes because they have run out of money to pay for gas," she said. "If the government does not approve the increase, more buses will have stop services.''
The recent NGV price hike to 13 baht a kilogramme is the final straw for operators who have already had to bear high costs for spare parts and wages amid increasing living expenses. Bus fares have been fixed for more than six years, Ms Phattharawadi said.
The three-baht hike which operators are seeking would apply to both non-air-conditioned and air-conditioned buses.
Under the association's proposal, the former will see its flat rate of eight baht increase to 11 while the latter, where ticket prices depend on distance, will collect three baht more for all distances.
"We need time to consider the proposal," Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said yesterday. "But this does not mean we are going to reject it."
Officials need to consider fare changes carefully because the request has come while the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, which grants concessions to private bus operators on certain routes, is carrying out plans to lift itself out of debt.
Meanwhile, taxi drivers and song thaeo operators are also calling for fare increases as a result of higher NGV and liquefied petroleum gas prices.
Officials should allow taxi drivers to increase their fares by 5% in April, said Witoon Naewpanich, chairman of Bangkok's taxi cooperative network.