PUBLISHED: 18 October 2023 at 7:00 a.m.
After the 20-baht flat fare went into effect on Monday, ridership along Bangkok’s Red and Purple electric train lines increased by almost 90 %, according to a Department of Rail Transport ( DRT ) source.
According to the source, 94, 446 people used the two traces in full on Monday, an increase of 86 % from Sunday.
To assist Bangkok residents in lowering their living expenses and reducing air pollution in the area, the Transport Ministry rolled out the level menu on the Purple and Red ranges. The government intends to increase the smooth suffer to different electric train routes if the trial along the Purple and Red lines is effective.
Just visits costing more than 20 ringgit are capped; people taking shorter trips for less than that amount will still be charged the full price.
Suriya Jungrungreangkit, the minister of transportation, praised the smooth suffer as a means of promoting the adoption of electric trains.
Mr. Suriya cited the” Transport Future for All” plans and stated that the flat price will be used well past its anticipated expiration date of Nov. 30 of the following month.
In order to comply with the financial discipline law, which mandates that any tasks funded by state subsidies be assessed for their cost-effectiveness yearly, the government had to set this deadline.
According to Mr. Suriya, as more individuals use the service over time, the status will have to pay less to fund the plan.
Social activist Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, however, took to Facebook to criticize the flat fare policy, saying it might add an unneeded financial burden to the government.
He claimed that a thorough collapse of the loss sustained and grants paid is required for the general public.
The two lines chosen for the test are the least used by the general public, according to Surachet Pravinvongvuth of the Move Forward Party, so the level fare shouldn’t be viewed as a success.