The Thailand Consumers' Council (TCC) is calling on the government to reject the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) plan to extend the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc's (BTSC) concession to operate the Green Line by 30 years.
It says the fare cap in the proposal will be a burden to passengers.
The TCC said the extension -- which will see fares for trips on the Green Line capped at their current ceiling of 65 baht -- will add to the public's financial woes.
As the owner of the Green Line, BMA is looking to offer the BTSC, the line's current operator, a 30-year extension on its concession to operate the main section of the Green Line, which is due to expire on 2029.
Under its proposal, the BMA will offer the extension in exchange of BTSC shouldering its debts of almost 100 billion baht.
It was said the BTSC has offered to keep the fare ceiling at 65 baht and agreed to share a portion of its revenues with the state in the latest round of negotiations.
The concession extension has sparked a public debate, with consumer groups arguing that capping the fare at 65 baht will essentially make Bangkok's electric train system out of reach for the average citizen.
The TCC urged the cabinet to maintain the minimum fare at 15 baht and freeze maximum fares at 44 baht until the end of the original concession in 2029.
Yuttapong Charasathien, Pheu Thai deputy leader, yesterday also called on the government not to rush its review of the proposed extension, and threatened to take legal action against cabinet ministers who approved it. He said as the extension is not an urgent matter, the 65-baht ceiling should also be reviewed.
The BTSC, meanwhile, has signalled that it wanted the BMA to immediately settle a 30-billion-baht debt across the entire skytrain system.
The debt comprises a 9.6-billion-baht debt which BMA owed the BTSC for operating services along the Green Line's extensions for three years, and about 20.7 billion baht for the purchase of train operating systems.