As new electric train lines are scheduled to be up and running later this year and over the next few years, commuters will be able to travel across Greater Bangkok with ease, hopping from one system to another of these sprawling train networks without having to get stuck in traffic jams. But such travel convenience will come at a high cost, as has been the case for several years already.
Electric rail services in the capital have been too expensive for the average city residents and unaffordable for those on low incomes.
This week, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) issued a call for rail authorities to make train fares more affordable, saying that the average ticket price in Thailand is 20% higher than that in Singapore. Given that cost of living and the minimum wage in Singapore are much higher than Thailand’s, the higher fares for Bangkok commuters simply don’t add up.
While taking a single train line is already costly, connecting to another system makes one’s full journey much more expensive because of each system’s new base fare.
Despite more train lines having started operation in recent years, they are managed by different operators that have not integrated their ticket pricing systems to do away with the base fare for connecting routes.
Prices for each rail system range from 14-45 baht per trip, depending on the distance. For passengers taking two systems, they could end up paying almost 90 baht for a single trip. Once more rail lines are operational, the cost of travel will mount up further.
It is disappointing that the authorities and operators have done too little to solve this problem. Instead, they have come up with odd and expensive ticketing models.
For instance, two extensions of the BTS Skytrain are operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Even though the BTS operator has set its maximum fare at 44 baht, passengers are still charged 15 baht extra by the BMA if they travel on the extensions. The BMA should have tried to work out a deal with the BTS operator and cut fares for commuters, given that the operator, the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), is the BMA’s concessionaire.
A similar scheme is also used by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) which operates the Purple Line and Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM), the operator of the Blue Line. Even though they have an integrated ticking system, they still have base fares, capping the maximum fare at 70 baht for passengers taking the two systems.
Moreover, the rail service operators do not offer discounts for regular travellers. The only one that has offered such a solution is BTSC. Its stored value cards, each with a predetermined number of trips, make it cheaper to travel. For instance, those buying a 50-trip card pay just 26 baht per trip. But other operators have not offered such discounts.
Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisit earlier this year said the authorities would still have to “study further” whether it is commercially feasible for operators to do away with the base fare for connecting routes, given that this was not set out in their concessions.
The authorities should make integrating and lowering train fares their top priority as it needs to be done before the many new and extended train lines begin commercial operation.