Opposition MP urges Prayut to put the brakes on Green Line fare hike

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Opposition MP urges Prayut to put the brakes on Green Line fare hike

By THE NATION

 

 

Pheu Thai’s Maha Sarakham MP and party deputy chief Yutthapong Jarassathian submitted a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday urging him to suspend the Green Line Skytrain fare increase to a maximum Bt104, which is to commence on February 16.

 

Despite previously promising that the fare ceiling would be Bt65 on the route, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said last Friday that the new ceiling of Bt104 is inexpensive and would be implemented from February 16 as planned unless the government decided otherwise.

 

Read More: Aswin defends Green Line fare hike, rules out review unless ordered by govt

 

Yutthapong (File Photo)

 

“The fare hike will hurt people who have already been affected by the economic fallout of Covid-19. The average minimum wage of Bangkokians is Bt331. If they have to take a return trip on the Green Line, which will amount to Bt208, they will have only Bt123 left for their daily expenses, which is not livable," Yutthapong pointed out.

 

“I therefore urge the prime minister to suspend the fare hike before February 16, and also launch an investigation into why the Interior Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have not obeyed the Cabinet’s order of November 26, 2018, which stipulates that the BMA must borrow money to pay off debts from Green Line operational costs to the Bangkok Mass Transit System [BTSC],” he said.

 

The BTSC, which has been operating the Green Line extension from Bearing to Samut Prakan since 2018 and from Mo Chit to Khu Khot since 2020, has demanded more than Bt8 billion in operation costs.

 

The operator claims that at the fare ceiling of Bt63, it is incurring a loss of Bt93 per passenger because the fare from end to end should be Bt158.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30401864

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-27

 

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