Skytrain poses challenges to next Bangkok governor

[webfact]

 

Anticipating challenging decisions ahead, the four candidates running in the election for governor of Bangkok are strongly opposing the extension of concession for the core Skytrain sections of the Green Line.

 

They were speaking on the controversial proposal in the course of a debate. The Interior Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have proposed extending the concession of operator Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) for another 30 years after it expires in 2029.

 

Chadchart Sittipunt, Rosana Tositrakul, Suchatvee Suwansawat, and Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, contesting for the top BMA job, proposed their ideas at an online debate hosted by the Thailand Consumers Council on February 14.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/skytrain-poses-challenges-to-next-bangkok-governor/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-19

 

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[khunjeff]

Fares on the Green Line(s) have been incoherent ever since they started building extensions many years ago. Depending where you get on and off, you might pay (a) a capped distance-based fare; or (b) a flat 15 baht; (c) a combination of (a) and (b); or (d) zero.

 

It's very hard to take all the BMA cries of poverty seriously when they've been leaving money on the table for years by letting commuters in outlying areas ride for free. It's reminiscent of when they were going to shut down the BRT because it was hemorrhaging cash, until people started pointing out that they were charging only five baht, which was lower than the fare for any bus.

 

They seem to have absolutely no coordinated plan at all for how to set fares on public transport, as seen by the fact that apparently no one ever thought to write any of this into contracts in advance, deciding to instead determine the pricing after the systems were built and running. At some point they have to make a firm decision as to whether they want Bangkok rapid transit to be self-sustaining but with fares that much of the population can't afford, or subsidized in order to increase ridership and make the system accessible to all. Instead, they're indulging the fantasy that it can pay for itself with low fares.

[unblocktheplanet]

Hard to imagine these huge private infrastructure projects will ever turn a profit. If mass transit charges too high, commuters won't ride. Too low & it's a charity. I can't imagine corpos are doing this to save the earth.