Govt plans to cancel free bus service

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The government plans to terminate the free public bus service when all the 4,000 NGV buses are put in operation in 2012 under the bus-leasing scheme of the Ministry of Transport.

Transport Minister Sopon Zarum elaborated that the termination of the free bus service aimed to avoid providing duplicate services.

However, he said other measures to assist low income-earners would be adopted to replace the free service.

The minister unveiled the policy while visiting the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the Department of Land Transport which is the center for monitoring political movements of the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Mr Sopon continued to say that new relief measures include a plan to register all low-income earners within the kingdom.

He said the Ministry of Finance would be asked to specify the level of income for those to be classified as low-income earners.

The free bus service was first implemented by the administration of late Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to assist low-income earners.

-- NNT 2010-03-21

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You have to be impressed with the timing of this announcement.

You have to be impressed with the timing of this announcement.

It will been seen for exactly for what it is.

This bit of the article:

"Mr Sopon continued to say that new relief measures include a plan to register all low-income earners within the kingdom. "

gives away the scale of the task. It is am ambitious plan and one that is bound to be met with a degree of suspicion particularly as "the Ministry of Finance would be asked to specify the level of income for those to be classified as low-income earners."

You have to be impressed with the timing of this announcement.

It will been seen for exactly for what it is.

This bit of the article:

"Mr Sopon continued to say that new relief measures include a plan to register all low-income earners within the kingdom. "

gives away the scale of the task. It is am ambitious plan and one that is bound to be met with a degree of suspicion particularly as "the Ministry of Finance would be asked to specify the level of income for those to be classified as low-income earners."

It is likely that the bureaucracy needed for the registration and administration will cost a lot more than the free bus service. Job creation scheme. Potential for side earnings?

I don't think the timing on this could have been worse.

Low income earners could easily be determined based on

international UN standards of poverty demarcation.

You have to be impressed with the timing of this announcement.

It will been seen for exactly for what it is.

This bit of the article:

"Mr Sopon continued to say that new relief measures include a plan to register all low-income earners within the kingdom. "

gives away the scale of the task. It is am ambitious plan and one that is bound to be met with a degree of suspicion particularly as "the Ministry of Finance would be asked to specify the level of income for those to be classified as low-income earners."

I feel some re-education coming on.............................

What do you want? A free bus service that runs around Bangkok and anyone can use (regardless of income levels) or do you want to move more towards more of a "Social Security/Welfare" style system for Low Income families, possibly nationwide?

I know which way i would go...

Why on Earth are they announcing this now?

Yes but how will they determine who is low income?

If anything like the loans scheme you will need proof of income i.e. work contract i.e. blue collar worker i.e. middle class.

Lets just hope they don't stop the free electric scheme also a project from the late Mr Samak bless his sole he did more for the poor than

the current government.

What do you want? A free bus service that runs around Bangkok and anyone can use (regardless of income levels) or do you want to move more towards more of a "Social Security/Welfare" style system for Low Income families, possibly nationwide?

I know which way i would go...

Get the scheme up and running first if you know what I mean?

Get the scheme up and running first if you know what I mean?

I agree wholeheartedly... every journey starts with a single step.

In itself nothing senseless.

But the Nation title is too much provocative and as underlined already the timing is poor.

This kind of information should have been postponed and the title should be more balanced.

just a journalistic inconsequent action.

I assume the service was not making a profit.

In itself nothing senseless.

But the Nation title is too much provocative and as underlined already the timing is poor.

This kind of information should have been postponed and the title should be more balanced.

just a journalistic inconsequent action.

For clarification -

It is not a "THE NATION" article

the article was published by the "National News Bureau of Thailand" (NNT), one of the official

Government news agencies.