Hitch with ‘free’ fares as stations lack welfare-card readers

[webfact]

Hitch with ‘free’ fares as stations lack welfare-card readers  

By The Nation

 

 

As the termination of the universal free bus and train services went into effect on Wednesday, many residents in Si Sa Ket lamented that they could not use their state welfare cards at smaller train stations.

 

They said these stations have not yet been equipped with the electronic data capture (EDC) readers needed to scan the cards.

 

The welfare cards have been introduced to allow poor people to make trips on government buses and trains.

 

At Ban Nong Khaen Train Station in Tambon Nong Hang of Uthumphon Phisai district, up to 100 farmers from nearby villages have brought their produce to sell on trains and stations along the route on a daily basis for the past 20 years.

 

The universal free train service has been a great help to them in the past few years.

 

“But now we have buy tickets worth about Bt80-100 for a round trip, plus a goods-transport fee every day," one said, adding that those with state welfare cards could not yet use their cards to buy tickets at this small station yet.

 

Some said they had considered finding a new way of making a living, because they could only earn only Bt400-500 a day selling vegetabes and now had to pay Bt80-100 for transport

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30330578

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-01

[edwinchester]

Surely if there are no card readers for the welfare cards then there could be a temporary manual system introduced so the holders can still benefit? Or does nobody care about the half assed introduction that is useless for those it's intended to help?