Utter stupidity by the BTS

[flbkk]

On the OP’s topic, I believe I’ve seen a rule that it should cost five baht to exit the same station, like if you want to go through the station to cross the big street. Another poster mentioned cashless. Signs up, cashless take credit cards, line pay, true money wallet, etc. Foreigners need a video interview and try to get true money wallet. Line pay, as noted you have to go and present your passport and register again. But credit and debit cards, often theySay, need 300 baht minimum, or machine broke.

[CartagenaWarlock]

20 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

Never had this problem in 7/11. I always do this to get rid of my coins and get 20/50/100 bills. They use the  machine to return the correct amount and of course before they can enter the amount in their machine I tell them how much I expect. I had more problems doing the same in the USA where the attendant gets confused even after entering the amount in their machine because they were expecting to give some change and it comes out whole amount.  

[Jaybott]

Sounds like "Charlie on the MTA".  You'll have to be an old school Bostonian to understand that. 

 

In the 60's Boston's Metropolitan Transit Authority introduced a fare increase based on how far you traveled, versus a flat rate of 10 cents.  You pay a dime to get on, depending on how far you traveled, would need to pay a nickel to get off.  The joke was, " if you don't have a nickel, you can never get off".  So a folk group named "The Kingston Trio" wrote a song about it.  It's on YouTube, I don't know how to post the link.

[n00dle]

21 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

This has to be the stupidest thing I've every experienced in almost 14 years living here.  

congratulations for living a very sheltered life.

[Freddy42OZ]

21 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Hehe. You must've never had the change problem.

 

Back in the states, if the bill's like $140.36, we give $150.36 expecting to get 10 bucks in change.

 

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

I've never had that problem here.  I guess it depends where you eat and shop.

[Freddy42OZ]

20 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

This reminds me how stupid foreigners can be, who buys a ticket moves to the train and then thinks, i want other transport.

My girlfriend wanted to buy a dress from a shop inside the gates.  Once inside and after buying the dress I decided I would rather sit in traffic on Sukhumvit with just her, than stand on the BTS and have to walk from the destination station to our condo.  

I often go through the gates to get to the ATMs and then exit at the same station.  But I usually have my rabbit card, on this occasion my rabbit card was not topped up so to save time I just bought a regular ticket.

[Freddy42OZ]

40 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Lesson learned - buy a rabbit card

 

stupid behavior - try driving with parking lights at dusk/dawn….a dangerous cultural tradition that common sense is just unable to overcome 

I've had a rabbit card since they first came out.  Mine was out of credit so I bought a single journey ticket.  

[2long]

58 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Walk down to street level ands walk along the sidewalk?

Yeah because we need another 'pedestrian hit by motorcycle' story! ????????????

[Freddy42OZ]

21 hours ago, bbko said:

Easy to figure out with a modern cash register, try doing the same at a mom & pop store.

 

OP, according to their website, you should have been able to get a refund if you left the paid area within 5 minutes:

Passenger has entered the Paid Area but intends to leave the Paid Area at the same station within 5 minutes from the time of entering the Paid Area. Passenger must make request for refund at the Ticket Office before leaving the Paid Area.

 

https://www.bts.co.th/eng/tickets/ticket-conditions.html

That is probably why I've never previously had this issue. 

However, on this occasion we spent more than 5 minutes.  We went to look at a dress, decided to buy it, went to the ATM, went back to buy the dress, looked at the volume of people going up to the platform, then decided we'd prefer to have the comfort of a taxi rather than be stood on the BTS (plus taxi takes us to the condo entrance, saving a 10 minute walk).  

It's a tad annoying that they charge for you to transit from one end of a station to the other like a large overpass.  But I don't really mind.

I just found the 1 baht extra charge to be incredibly pointless and petty.

I believe the MRT also has the entire station gated so you can't use the stations as large underpasses.  



 

[wpcoe]

Tokyo subways sell (or at least used to) "platform tickets" for people who were never intending to get on a train.  The platform ticket let them enter & exit the same station.  Maybe you want to accompany someone elderly down to the platform and ensure they get on the right train.  Or, whatever.

 

I wonder if the one baht was for a "platform ticket" and the 15 baht ticket you already had was simply considered non-refundable and disposable?

 

[edited to add:]

I missed @bbko's post above – did you exceed your five minutes so the ticket was non-refundable?

 

[Nickelbeer]

"Abandon logic all ye who enter here"

[Freddy42OZ]

18 hours ago, Pravda said:

I think someone else is stupid and it's not Thais. The minimum BTS charge for 1 station is 16 baht, not 15 baht. The green line from On Nut to khekha is still under testing and has a special fare of 15 baht from bangna all the way to on nut. I believe after bearing it's still free to ride BTS. Since the minimum charge for 1 station is 16 baht and you didn't utilize the ticket in this special fare zone they charged you 16 baht.

I bought the ticket at the ticket office and pretty sure they charged me 15 baht.  

Entered the station and then tried exiting at the other end. Having bought a ticket to a station two stops further up the line I should have been able to simply exit without charge at the same station. 
 

[digbeth]

20 minutes ago, Freddy42OZ said:

That is probably why I've never previously had this issue. 

However, on this occasion we spent more than 5 minutes.  We went to look at a dress, decided to buy it, went to the ATM, went back to buy the dress, looked at the volume of people going up to the platform, then decided we'd prefer to have the comfort of a taxi rather than be stood on the BTS (plus taxi takes us to the condo entrance, saving a 10 minute walk).  

It's a tad annoying that they charge for you to transit from one end of a station to the other like a large overpass.  But I don't really mind.

I just found the 1 baht extra charge to be incredibly pointless and petty.

I believe the MRT also has the entire station gated so you can't use the stations as large underpasses.  



 

actually, the MRT has railings along the ticketing level that makes a narrow walkway through the station, so you can use it as an underpass

[Crossy]

OK here we go, I hope you are sitting comfortably.

 

Firstly your GF will have been charged 16 Baht to exit.

 

It's a quirk of the way that the system is divided.

 

E9 (On-Nut) is the border station between the BTS operated stations and the BMA operated stations.

 

The BTS is a distance based fare with the minimum fare being 16 Baht, the BMA fare is a flat 15 Baht, beyond Samrong is still free hence the seemingly long journey for only 15 Baht.

 

So exiting the other end of E9 should cost 16 Baht, you only had a 15 Baht ticket hence the 1B fee.

 

The BTS fare rules give me a headache and I work for them   

 

This might explain it, the blue line is the border of the BTS / BMA systems.

 

 

 

[digbeth]

also for a visit to the shop inside the paid area, the shop can refund your ticket too

[OJAS]

21 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

This reminds me how stupid foreigners can be, who buys a ticket moves to the train and then thinks, i want other transport.

Well, maybe the reason why @Freddy42OZ and his girlfriend decided to take a taxi instead was that, once they had passed through the ticket barrier, it then became apparent to them that there would be an extremely long wait for the next train. On the London tube, for example, there are screens displaying next train arrival info placed near to ticket barrier entry points at most stations. But presumably that is not the case at BTS stations.

[Oblomov]

21 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Hehe. You must've never had the change problem.

 

Back in the states, if the bill's like $140.36, we give $150.36 expecting to get 10 bucks in change.

 

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

Yet they always get it 'wrong' on the side favorable to them and not say, 800 instead of 600. 

[kingstonkid]

3 hours ago, new2here said:

i believe this is spot on

 

its a quirk in how fares are calculated and collected when travel originates at one if the extension stations.  As i recall a flat fare of B15 is added to whatever is the normal fare beginning from the first station that’s not a part of the extension 

 

but by not traveling you triggered the BTS’ minimum fare, which on a systemwide basis is B16

 

So i just think it’s a quirk that stems from how fares are calculated within the extension area 

 

 

LOL I must be in trouble 

 

This actually makes sense

 

BUT please do not mentin that they are still testing I travel from Khu kot to Phrom mpong for 44 baht

[steven100]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Punnawithi

next time you can walk to Punnawithi 

[welshissan]

22 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Don't know what you mean. I do this pretty regularly in 7/11 and they get it right. 

Only because they need to use a calculator

[watthong]

1 baht-rant well deserves the title of this topic. Maybe the mod should move it to the "Culture Shock" forum?

[Pravda]

41 minutes ago, Freddy42OZ said:

I bought the ticket at the ticket office and pretty sure they charged me 15 baht.  

Entered the station and then tried exiting at the other end. Having bought a ticket to a station two stops further up the line I should have been able to simply exit without charge at the same station. 
 

 

See Crossy's post. You were in the special fare zone. The minimum charge is 16 baht.

[Andre0720]

22 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Don't know what you mean. I do this pretty regularly in 7/11 and they get it right. 

Oh, you mean the cash register gets it right.

I bought a t-shirt, 50 bahts. I handed a 100 bahts note.

No cash register, so the sales lady took out the mini calculator, punched in 100 bahts, minus 50 bahts, and she handed me the result, a 50 bahts note.

But she got it right also, hehe

[TheScience]

It is stupid.

 

I'd love to hear the reasoning.

 

I'm guessing you can't exit where you came in. To do so there needs to be a charge created for the exit at the station. Most likely a technical issue not something Thais planned although you're fully forgiven for thinking otherwise.

[Cake Monster]

Bought an item in a store the other Day

cost, 249 Baht

I gave over 250Baht, and a Calculator was need to work out my change.

Duhhh !

[TheScience]

2 minutes ago, Pravda said:

 

See Crossy's post. You were in the special fare zone. The minimum charge is 16 baht.

Now THAT is stupid

[matchar]

47 minutes ago, Crossy said:

OK here we go, I hope you are sitting comfortably.

 

Firstly your GF will have been charged 16 Baht to exit.

 

It's a quirk of the way that the system is divided.

 

E9 (On-Nut) is the border station between the BTS operated stations and the BMA operated stations.

 

The BTS is a distance based fare with the minimum fare being 16 Baht, the BMA fare is a flat 15 Baht, beyond Samrong is still free hence the seemingly long journey for only 15 Baht.

 

So exiting the other end of E9 should cost 16 Baht, you only had a 15 Baht ticket hence the 1B fee.

 

The BTS fare rules give me a headache and I work for them   

 

This might explain it, the blue line is the border of the BTS / BMA systems.

 

 

 

Aren't the extensions operated by the BTS on the BMAs behalf? I'm currently enjoying occasional free rides on the northern extension while they are in dispute.

I read before Christmas they were considering new fares but no updates since then...do you have any news?

 

If the maximum fare increases beyond 59 baht then it will definitely be cheaper to drive in most cases.

[ujayujay]

Wow...one Baht????????????

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Well, maybe the reason why @Freddy42OZ and his girlfriend decided to take a taxi instead was that, once they had passed through the ticket barrier, it then became apparent to them that there would be an extremely long wait for the next train. On the London tube, for example, there are screens displaying next train arrival info placed near to ticket barrier entry points at most stations. But presumably that is not the case at BTS stations.

Maybe, presumably, ........  Have you ever used the BTS?

[Lakegeneve]

Quote

Why not just met me exit for the 15 baht I paid?

This has to be the stupidest thing I've every experienced in almost 14 years living here.  

 

Like many, my first reaction to the OPs was 'WOW, if this is the most stupidest thing you've experienced in 14 years living here you really have had a sheltered life in Thailand!' Secondly, as Crossey has pointed out, this post just highlights the OP's ignorance of the fare structure and the fact that there is a station access charge which I assume is due to the OP perhaps not using the BTS that much??

 

Anyway, when the BTS first opened in 99 one could pass through stations without charge. However, a few years later, the BTS introduced a "station access fee" of 10 baht (the minimum fare at the time) as some people were passing through concourse gates to access the other side. This was especially the case at Chitlom as people would walk from the Skywalk thorugh the gates to access Central Chitlom rather than walk down to st level. Similar at Victory with people passing throught he gates walking from the Skywalk to Century.

 

When the min fare increased to 15 baht, so did the station access charge. Increase to 16 baht. ditto.