In the heart of Thailand, the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) is at the forefront of an exciting new initiative. There’s a buzz in the air as they deliberate on actualizing the commitment made by the Pheu Thai-led coalition regarding a prospective ceiling price for Bangkok’s electric train fares, targeting as little as 20 baht per journey. This intriguing notion was made public by a member of the DRT on Monday, who also suggested that the results of the investigation will be shared with the incoming administration at the right time.
Fascinatingly, there are two main strategies under consideration on how to enact this policy. The first of the duo would apply solely to the humble individuals with low-income who are holders of a state welfare card. Economically, this option seems more viable as it involves the government subsidizing the fares of these cardholders. At present, roughly 31,019 of these cardholders are using the city’s electric trains for their daily commute. Given the introduction of the fare cap, the prediction stands at around 34,000 daily passengers, a satisfying increase indeed. In order to carry this plan out, the government may have to subsidize around 35 baht per trip, estimating a total daily subsidy of 52,190 baht, which implies an annual total subsidy of about 307.9 million baht.
The alternative being discussed would apply the fare cap to every single commuter utilizing the electric train network in the capital. This proposition would necessitate a more generous subsidy from the government to allow the 20 baht flat fare, making this route a bit more expensive in terms of implementation. Factoring in the average fare currently sitting at 17.47 baht per journey, we are looking at an estimated daily subsidy of 16.5 million baht or a whopping 5.44 billion baht each year.
Applying this fare cap across the board, could spark an upsurge in the daily number of electric train commuters. The source hints at a possible 9.6% surge, which is about an extra 104,296 passengers per day, upping the average daily ridership to approximately 1.19 million. The DRT is hopeful to roll this policy out before the start of the new year, paving the way to a potential reduction in the levels of PM2.5 pollutants. These tiny yet harmful pollutants tend to intensify during colder months, posing a notable threat to the health of the public, according to Bangkok Post reports. Keep up to date with all the latest happenings, see our new Facebook page: CLICK HERE.
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