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On a bustling early morning in Bangkok, there you’ll find Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin onboard the gleaming carriages of the Pink Line electric train, inaugurating its trial run with a press of a button! The energy is palpable, the cameras flashing. This isn’t just a ride—it’s the dawn of a new chapter in Bangkok’s urban mobility saga. You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from commuters dreaming of hassle-free journeys beneath the city’s busy streets.
The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) is stoking the fires of change with a bold declaration: a mass transit fare that doesn’t burn a hole in the traveler’s wallet. Imagine the freedom—you, me, the flower seller, and the office worker, all zipping across the city for a flat fee of 20 baht. The TCC’s seminar echoes with calls for affordable commutes in the throbbing heart of the Land of Smiles.
Saree Aungsomwang, the TCC’s vibrant secretary-general, isn’t just talking off the cuff. Oh no—this is backed by pure research. The figures sing a sweet melody; that a 20-baht note could be the key to unlocking the doors of Bangkok’s electric routes. She pictures a bustling Bangkok where smog is a distant memory, and the hum of electric trains is the sound of progress. “Only 25% of folk in Thailand opt for public transport,” she laments. But why? Cost, convenience, comfort? She plants a firm stake in the ground: no more than 10% of a day’s wage (that’s about 350 baht in the Big Mango) should vanish on travel. The ambition is crystal clear—a cap at 20 baht is not just a choice, it’s a pursuit.
Then there’s Kongsak Cheunkrailart, the TCC’s local Sherlock, who’s canvassed the opinion of 2,500 passengers aboard the Pink Line—still blissfully free till the fifth of January. The verdict? A collective nod for a flat rate. It’s like a delectable buffet—everyone’s plates (and trains) should be filled for the same price.
“Can’t afford to part with more than a slice of my salary,” cry the people, as 55% of survey respondents wince at a potential 15-45 baht fee for future Pink Line jaunts. The sweet spot, they counsel, is 27 baht max. And the Bangkok Consumer Network chimes in, “One price to ride them all,” beckoning a surge in public transport disciples.
Atiphu Jittanukrao, the DRT’s wizard of the rails, strikes a cautionary note, flicking through a ledger of numbers. Since the Red and Purple lines cut prices, passenger counts have soared, but the coin purse has slimmed—from 660,000 baht to just half a million daily for the Red Line; a million to 600,000 for the Purple. “We must weigh the scales,” he implies, “Balance is key.”
To carve a path to this flat-rate utopia, a committee of wise minds must congregate, sift through the proposals, and extend a hand to the TCC’s champions. In the meeting rooms and the corridors of power, the future of Bangkok’s commutes will be sculpted by debate and discourse. After all, this isn’t just about getting from A to B—it’s about moving towards an era of transit justice, where every Thai can board the train, with a little jingle still in their pockets.
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