After having faced an uncertain future for months, there is a strong possibility that the ailing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service may be saved.
This became evident after the government voiced disagreement with a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plan to scrap the loss-ridden service.
In an interview last month, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon made it clear he held the mass-transit system in high regard. He said the BMA should find a way of keeping the service running rather than scrapping it entirely.
More importantly, a recent opinion survey, commissioned by the the BMA as a response to the deputy PM's directive, showed that members of the public still want the BMA to continue the special bus service which links Bangkok's bustling Sathon with the Tha Phra area in Thon Buri. The survey, conducted by a team of researchers from Kasem Bundit University (KBU), involved some 3,500 respondents representing various groups including car owners and police managing traffic.
Much to the surprise of the BMA, even city motorists sharing the route, extending over 16km along reserved lanes, were among the majority of respondents, 80%, who called for the city administrators to keep the service, which, with a fare of five baht per trip, is a cheap option for city commuters to go to work or study.
Before this the BMA, which wanted to end the project by the end of next month, had complained on behalf of this group of road users. It claimed the reserved lanes worsened congestion which made it "unfair" on those who get stuck in congested traffic. Yet 70% of car owners who answered the questionnaires said they did not think scrapping the project would improve the traffic situation in the area, so the service should stay.
The results are to be submitted to Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang for consideration.
Earlier, the BMA cited financial losses of the service, an initiative of then Bangkok governor Apirak Kosoyodhin which started in 2010, as the main reason for wanting to terminate it.
The BMA said it invested 2 billion baht in the project and paid Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS) 535 million baht to run it over a seven-year period that is due to end on April 30.
City Hall also said the BRT had lost 1.2 billion baht over the past six years and claimed the system was underused as it served about 25,000 passengers a day, way short of the original daily target of 35,000. On account of this, the BMA reasoned scrapping the BRT would not be a big problem for commuters.
It should be noted that before this survey the BMA had made no attempt to try and save the service. No other options like a fare increase to offset the loss, or ideas to better the service were put forward.
However, the survey results, plus the opinion of the deputy PM, should be enough for the BMA to have a change of heart and save the mass-transit service.
It is a pity the recent survey did not include questions on how the service could be improved in order to increase passenger numbers, or make it better for current users, who -- by sticking with public transport -- make a significant contribution to making the city's chronic traffic congestion even worse.
City administrators should realise that money is not the be all and end all when it comes to public services, including mass-transit systems, if they help enhance people's quality of life.
For this reason, the BMA has an obligation, not just to keep it running, but to make it better.