BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) – The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has decided not to use e-ticket devices of its bus supplier as they malfunction, turning to electronic payment card readers instead.
Acting BMTA director-general Prayoon Chuaykaew said BMTA could not accept e-ticket devices from Cho Thavee Plc because they were not stable and did not function. The state enterprise would terminate a lease contract for the devices.
Instead, bus attendants would use electronic data capture (EDC) devices from Krungthai Bank. The devices would collect fares from passengers’ welfare cards and prepaid fare cards.
Bus attendants would advise passengers on the system and set passengers’ destinations to calculate the exact fare of each passenger, Mr Prayoon said. The use of EDC devices started on March 8.
When such devices were installed as fixtures on buses, the BMTA would transfer bus attendants to its other sections, he said.
In the future, EDC devices on buses could read QR codes and chip cards, Mr Prayoon said. (TNA)
