Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has threatened to hold responsible debt-ridden state enterprise executives, board members and ministers if their business rehabilitation plans fail to be approved by the so-called "Super Board".
The State Enterprise Policy Committee, or Super Board, chaired by Gen Prayut, late last month instructed debt-ridden state enterprises to come up with their business rehabilitation plans and submit them to the Super Board by March.
Gen Prayut also stressed that the plans must be clear and practical, according to Transport Minister Prajin Juntong.
"The prime minister told the meeting that if any plan lacked clarity and failed to be approved by the Super Board, the state enterprise's executives, board members, and even ministers who supervise the organisation would have their performance reviewed," said ACM Prajin.
Under the transport portfolio, three organisations are required to submit the plans. They are the State Railway of Thailand, the city bus operator Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), and Thai Airways International Plc. The minister admitted that he felt concerned over the rehabilitation plans of the three organisation about whether they would be endorsed because each of those state enterprises had huge debts.
In another development, a one-baht fare increment for both ordinary and air-conditioned Bangkok buses has been approved for implementation on Tuesday, with another increase in four to five weeks to better reflect actual operating costs, ACM Prajin said yesterday.
He said the increase officially applies to buses operated by the state-run BMTA and private buses running under BMTA concessions.
However, the BMTA would delay the fare increase for its buses for a while, he said.
The first-round fare hike does not take into account the rising price of compressed natural gas (CNG), the minister said.
He would wait four to five weeks for a study on bus operating costs and assistance measures for public transport operators to cushion the gas price increase before deciding on the size of the second increment.
The second ticket price rise would not be at the level demanded by private bus operators, he added.
Patrawadee Klomjaroon, president of the Association of Passenger Bus Operators, said the extra one baht would lift the fare of ordinary buses from eight to nine baht, and for air-conditioned buses from 11-23 baht to 12-24 baht.
She said the second-round fare increase should cover the CNG price that would reach 16 baht per kilogramme in six months. The government is raising the price gradually to eventually reflect the market price of the fuel.
"If the CNG price reaches 16 baht per kilogramme, the fare for ordinary buses must rise to 13 baht and for air-conditioned buses ticket prices must start at 18 baht to cover the costs," Ms Patrawadee said.
She also said that if the government wanted to freeze the ordinary bus fare at 10 baht, it would have to fix the CNG price at 8.50 baht per kilogramme, or provide other assistance for operators.