Bangkok taxi fare increase effective today | Thailand News Today

Bangkok taxi fare increase effective today

Bangkok taxi fares will increase to a minimum fare of 40 baht today after staying at 35 baht for 30 years.

The increased fare, which applies to Bangkok registered taxis with no more than seven seats, is effective today according to its announcement in the Royal Gazette yesterday.

However, passengers may not notice a rise in fares straight away as taxis can have their metres adjusted at Bang Sue Station between January 16 – February 28, according to the Ministry of Transport.

For taxis stuck in Bangkok’s notorious traffic jams (moving at less than 6km/h), fares will be capped at 3 baht per minute – a rise from the previous traffic jam surcharge of 1.25 baht per minute.

Taxis will charge 6.5 baht/km from the second to 10th kilometre, 7 baht/km from the 11th to 20th, 8 baht/km from the 21st to the 40th and 8.5 baht/km from the 41st to 60th.

Thailand’s Ministry of Transport raised the base taxi fare to 35 baht for the first time in 30 years to help taxi drivers earn a decent wage among high fuel costs and soaring costs of living.

Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang Airport taxis will charge an extra 50 baht as usual.

More than 80,000 taxi drivers in Bangkok and five surrounding provinces will benefit from the rise in base fares, something taxi drivers have been lobbying for a long time.

The new rates are based on a study by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

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Rise in Chinese Tourism Boosts Demand for Face Masks

The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has urged face mask manufacturers to prepare for a potential demand increase and ramp up production to avoid a shortage. This comes as a concern as a shortage of face masks could lead to a new wave of infections.

The DIT forecasts that there will be a large influx of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand to celebrate the Chinese New Year on January 22, which will result in an uptick in demand for face masks.

The move also follows a recent announcement by the Department of Disease Control to allow travelers entry to Thailand without having to present proof of vaccination against Covid-19. However, those arriving from China and India are still required to have Covid insurance that covers at least US$10,000 for the duration of their stay in Thailand, which also extends for seven days after their departure.

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ExxonMobil sells interest in Esso Thailand

The acquisition of Esso (Thailand) Public Company will make Bangchak Corporation Public Company (BCP) the oil company with the second largest market share in Thailand, 29.1%, behind PTT Public Company’s 39%.

According to BCP, the takeover deal, which was concluded on Wednesday between BCP and ExxonMobil, the parent company of Esso (Thailand) Pcl, will increase the oil refining capacity of BCP to 290,000 barrels per day and increase the number of service stations across the country to 2,100, from about 700.

BCP has assured that the 2,000 staff of Esso Thailand will not be laid off and will be employed under BCP’s management.

An executive of PTG Energy Public Company, currently the company with the second largest market share, said that foreign-owned oil companies have higher operational costs and lower profits than domestic oil companies. When confronted with fierce competition, their parent companies tend to sell off their business and move their investments elsewhere.

He also said that local oil companies do not source their income from selling oil products alone, but from side businesses, such as convenience stores and coffee shops in the compounds of their gas stations.

BCP’s 55.5 billion baht acquisition deal is still subject to approval from the Thai Ministry of Energy and the Securities and Exchange Commission.