Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit introduced a pilot for a 20-baht flat fare on the MRT Purple Line and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Red Line. The pilot, anticipated to roll out throughout the next three months, is described as a “New Year’s present” for the common public.
Suriya clarified this initiative in Parliament, affirming its practicality, after it was queried by Surachate Praweenwongwut, an opposition MP from the Move Forward Party. The flat-fare proposal emerged on the second day of the government’s policy declaration.
Suriya stood agency on the flat-rate policy, citing it as a chance to make sure equity for individuals, significantly those battling with lower revenue brackets.
Despite his optimism, he cautioned it might take half a year for the flat-rate policy to be formally accredited. This delay is because of the need to convene all prepare line concessionaires and establish a negotiation committee to discuss the policy intimately.
Suriya assured that the 20 baht flat price shall be trialled on the MRT Purple Line and the SRT Red Line within the forthcoming three months, aligning with the New Year period.
“Within Refund , individuals can pay 20 baht for all train lines because we’d like time for negotiations.”
However, Surachate identified that the flat rate, which was certainly one of Pheu Thai’s key campaign promises, was not included among its insurance policies introduced to Parliament. This omission is notable despite the precise fact that the Transport Ministry has three deputy ministers and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is the Finance Minister, possessing full authority to greenlight public funding.
Surachate argued that the flat fee ought to be relevant to every electrical train line, together with when passengers transfer to other strains. Nonetheless, without a distinct course on transport system investment, the attain of the flat-rate coverage remains uncertain.
Surachate additional cautioned that the coverage may falter inside the first three months of the brand new government’s tenure, as promised during the election marketing campaign, due to potential issues from the train lines’ non-public contractors, reported Bangkok Post..g