Bangkok’s electric train flat fare drops to 20 baht, ridership soars by 90%

A surge of nearly 90% in ridership was recorded on Bangkok’s Red and Purple electric train lines on Monday, following the introduction of a 20-baht flat fare. The Department of Rail Transport (DRT) source revealed that the number of passengers on both lines escalated to 94,446 on Monday, marking an 86% increase from the previous day.

The 20-baht flat fare was introduced by the Transport Ministry on the Purple and Red lines to ease the cost of living for Bangkok residents and mitigate air pollution levels in the city. Success in this trial could lead to the flat fare being extended to other electric train routes.

The flat fare is only applicable to trips costing over 20 baht, while shorter journeys that cost less than 20 baht will still be billed at their actual fare.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit championed the flat fare as an incentive for people to use electric trains. Referring to the “Transport Future for All” policies, Suriya declared that the flat rate should continue beyond its preliminary end date of November 30 next year.

To comply with the law on fiscal discipline, the Cabinet was required to set this deadline, which necessitates an annual evaluation of cost-effectiveness for state-subsidized projects. Suriya also commented that as more people utilise the services, the state’s subsidy cost for this policy will lessen over time.

However, political activist Somchai Srisutthiyakorn expressed his concerns about the flat fare policy on Facebook, suggesting that it could impose an unnecessary financial load on the government. Somchai demanded a comprehensive breakdown outlining the losses and subsidies involved.

Surachet Pravinvongvuth of the Move Forward Party argued that the flat fare implementation should not be perceived as a success, as the Red and Purple lines selected for the trial are the least utilised by the public, reported Bangkok Post.

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