The Transport Ministry will discuss a joint ticketing system with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and boat operators tomorrow in a bid to link public transport systems in the city, acting director of the ministry's Common Ticketing Office Phadet Praditphet said yesterday.
Mr Phadet said the BMTA and operators of the Chao Phraya and Khlong Saen Saep express boat services will discuss creating an integrated ticketing system to make travel more convenient for Bangkok commuters.
Aside from express boats and buses, the joint e-ticket will cover the skytrain, the subway and the Airport Rail Link, he said.
The BMTA's 489 new natural gas for vehicles (NGV)-fuelled buses will also have the e-ticketing system and a GPS system to monitor bus movements, in a pilot project to prepare for integration with other transport systems, he said.
"The OTP plans to ask the BMTA if it can implement the joint ticketing on the new buses," said Mr Phadet, adding that first the agencies need to assess the maintenance expenses of the new fleet and finalise the concessionaire.
Pranee Sukasorn, BMTA acting chairwoman and director, said the agency is willing to discuss the integrated ticketing system with boat operators and install the OTP's e-ticketing system in buses.
Transport Minister Prajin Juntong wanted the installation of the joint ticketing system to be launched on at least one motorway under the Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat), the BMT System Plc's skytrain, the Metropolitan Rapid Transit's (MRT) subway and the BMTA buses.
The e-ticketing system will combine all the city's public transport systems under a single ticket by 2017 or 2018. The first phase of the plan calls for common tickets for BTS trains, subways and the Airport Rail Link by July 2016.
The plan also includes common tickets for expressways under Exat and motorways under the Department of Highways.