Fares For Inter-provincial Buses To Rise

Fares for inter-provincial buses to rise

BANGKOK: -- Upcountry coach operator Transport Company will raise fares by three satang a kilometre from February 16.

Company chairman Piyapan Champasut, who is also deputy permanent secretary for transport, said Thursday the compaฌny had lost about Bt60 million because it did not raise fares on October 15 last year. Transport Company is a state enterprise.

Government policy at the time of the last farerise was to maintain existing ticket prices, in spite of big rises in fuel prices.

"Our current fares are calculated on a diesel price of Bt23.84 a litre. But now diesel is Bt29.34 a litre," Piyapan said.

He said Transport Company would hold fares at existing levels for another month. But losses would total about Bt100 million in the past several months.

"We lost some Bt50 million because we reduced fares by half for several days to encourage voters to travel to their home constituencies to cast ballots in the Constitution referendum and the general election," Piyapan explained.

--The Nations 2008-01-17