PUBLISHED: 22 Aug 2024 at 06: 18
The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC ) has demanded that the government subsidize charges for public transportation, and that it use money earned from personal vehicles, property, and fortune taxes.
The suggestion was made at the first meeting of the Consumer Council for Public Transportation Users, which was intended to exchange ideas and promote initiatives to create a healthy and equitable public transportation system.
Boonyeun Siritham, leader of the TCC, claimed that the development of Thailand’s public transportation system was carried out without the involvement of the citizens.
Additionally, he claimed, officials frequently ignore municipal areas and concentrate on improving services in Bangkok and its surrounding areas.
He claimed that growth work has focused on building roads that support specific automobile use. As a result, the state has become a town of cars and motorcycles.
Public transportation problems escalate, according to Mr. Boonyeun because actual people are not allowed to decide the issues that are being addressed.
He cited the new shift in bus route numbers as an illustration, not as a solution but by making the company more convenient.
Saree Aungsomwang, the TCC secretary-general, claimed that the government had lower fares for public transportation to attract more travelers.
The TCC suggested the express uses fees, such as those from private vehicles, property, and fortune taxes, to support subsidise the fares.
Additionally, it advises that local governments avoid investing in road design instead of improving the provincial public transportation systems.
According to Ms. Saree, the 34-billion-baht project, which was originally intended to build a double-deck motorway, could procure electric buses and enhance Bangkok’s public transportation system.
Due to Bangkok’s long-standing power structure, Bhuntin Noumjerm, a member of the House Committee on Consumer Protection, said there is no indication that the focus of the public transportation policy will be on municipal locations over the next four decades.
Kongsak Shinkrailat, the TCC’s assistant secretary-general of travel and vehicles, added that the TCC intends to promote the” Road for All” campaign to create a good system for everyone.
The strategy supports the transformation of old vehicles to electric vehicles and renewable energy, and encourages consumers to take part in improving services, particularly energy trains, to reduce personal transportation.
The TCC suggested that the state control the macroeconomic budget to help lower people’s travel costs, which would reduce their income by ten percent, and establish a fund to help provincial areas manage public transportation services.
The plan also addressed the need to reduce fossil fuel use, which contributes to PM2.5 sand pollution and global warming.
The TCC even suggested that the government should support the private sector in providing people transportation companies.