BANGKOK, July 22 (TNA) — The Thailand Development Research Institute recommends a flat fare rate for electric trains at 30 baht, saying a 15-baht proposal would force the state to overly subsidize operators.
“Initial study indicates that a fare of 30 baht per trip for the whole network is reasonable,” said Sumet Ongkittikul, TDRI’s director for transport and logistics research. He responded to the report that the Transport Ministry wished to introduce the flat fare rate of 15 baht.
According to him, a reasonable fare should be based on comprehensive factors including commuters’ income, electric railway networks, pre-paid tickets and the possibility of spending local taxes on the subsidy. A subsidized fare should limit the state’s burden of subsidies for concessionaires.
The 15-baht fare could make the burden quite heavy, regarding the daily numbers of 800,000 passengers on BTS trains, 300,000 on subways, 100,000 on Purple Line and 100,000 on Airport Rail Link, Mr Sumet said.
A lower fare would raise the number of electric train passengers and change the structure of urban residences along electric railways, he said. (TNA)
