The government has required PTT Plc to control the price of natural gas for taxis, buses, trucks and private vehicles, with price caps for Bangkok taxis and buses to last two years.
Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga wrote on Facebook on Sunday that the measure came in response to a petition from truck, bus and taxi drivers last month asking for help as market prices for natural gas for vehicles (NGV) exceeded 20 baht per kilogramme.
According to the minister, PTT agreed on Dec 21 to sell NGV to taxis and buses in Bangkok at 14.62 baht/kg from Jan 1 to June 30, 2024, and at 15.59 baht/kg from July 1, 2024, to Dec 31, 2025.
For buses in other provinces, PTT's NGV price will be 18.59 baht/kg until Dec 31, 2025.
The state-run company is to cap sales of NGV at 12,000 baht per month for taxis and 10,000-40,000 baht per month for buses of different sizes.
For trucks, operators will receive discounts of 1.00 baht/kg at stations near gas pipelines and 0.50 baht/kg at stations further away. The discounts will continue for six months after truck operators subscribe to a road safety campaign. The subscription must be made within two months.
For other vehicles, the NGV price will be capped at 19.59 baht/kg from Jan 1 to May 15, 2024.