The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority's (BMTA) city bus service reform, which allows the private sector to manage city routes, has drawn widespread criticism.
This disappointment raises doubts about the government's sincerity in its pledge to improve public bus services -- a vital mode of transport relied upon by workers and the general public.
The reform plan, launched in July, is evidently riddled with flaws. For starters, commuters now face higher bus fares due to the BMTA's decision to withdraw almost all non-air-conditioned buses -- commonly known as "hot buses" -- from service.
To fill the gap, the private operator Thai Smile Group has introduced air-conditioned electric vehicles across more than 120 routes in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces.
While the new vehicles are clean and comfortable, they come with higher fares, starting at 15 baht, compared to the previous flat rate of 8 baht for the hot buses, which were predominantly used by low-income groups.
Although some may find the higher fares reasonable given the quality of the buses, the reality is that many commuters find them unaffordable. With the daily minimum wage stagnating at around 350 baht and the rising cost of living, including food and energy prices, public transport costs should have been kept lower or at least offered an affordable hot-bus option.
However, the BMTA's reform appears to prioritise dealing with private concessionaires rather than addressing the needs of commuters. A glaring issue with the reform is its adoption of a "one route, one operator" model, which has resulted in the shortening of several bus routes. This forces commuters to make multiple connections and pay additional fares for each segment of their journey.
The reform seems aimed at alleviating the debt-ridden BMTA's financial woes rather than serving the public's interests. It is no exaggeration to say the reform has been implemented at commuters' expense.
Moreover, the changes to bus numbers have caused confusion and frustration. The traditional one- or two-digit bus numbers have been replaced with three-digit numbers and hyphens.
For example, Bus No 1 has become 3-35, and Bus No 77 is now 3-45. To ease the transition, some buses display both old and new numbers, but this only adds to the chaos, especially since most bus stops still use the old numbering system.
Critics and commuters have labelled these changes nonsensical, noting some buses even include Roman letters like "E" and "R" after the numbers. The BMTA's poor communication regarding route changes and the new numbering system has only deepened public confusion.
Adding to the public's frustration, the BMTA has shown little regard for commuters' financial burdens. It dismissed recommendations from the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) to provide free buses to ease the strain on low-income groups.
The TCC said transport costs should not exceed 10% of the daily minimum wage. While the concessionaire proposed a day card system with a 40-baht flat rate, this solution is limited since the card cannot be used on routes operated by other providers.
Thai Smile Group's website also mentions plans to introduce hot buses with a 10-baht fare, but these buses have yet to materialise and are only planned for a limited number of routes -- just 10, which is far from sufficient.
The latest reform is undeniably a letdown. Earlier this year, the Srettha Thavisin cabinet appointed a new BMTA board with hopes of revitalising the 48-year-old agency.
However, the BMTA continues to suffer from its reputation as a poorly managed state enterprise burdened with a staggering 140 billion baht of debt.
For decades, it has been used as a tool for government welfare, providing cheap bus services while being barred from making a profit, leaving its finances in disarray.
The government has a responsibility to address the BMTA's shortcomings. First and foremost, it must view the BMTA as an essential welfare service -- a tool to help the public reduce transport costs. Yet successive governments have focused on flashy projects like urban rail and sky trains, often overlooking the BMTA as a debt-ridden agency.