Subway fare hike fails to deter passengers

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok residents have continued to use the subway system despite the fare hike which saw prices soar to a high of Bt31 for some journeys.

Speaking for subway operator, Bangkok Metro Co., Ltd. (BMCL), Maj. Gen. Chatchai Praditphong said that around 136,000 journeys had been made on the first day of the new fare structure yesterday, up from a weekday average of 110,000, as passengers flocked to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Initially priced at Bt10-15, fares on the underground train system now cost Bt12-31, with the exact fare dependent on the number of stops.

Dismissing fears that the new fares could lead to the subway’s popularity plummeting, Maj. Gen. Chatchai noted that with petrol prices still high, the underground train system remains an attractive option.

The Bangkok public has reacted angrily to the new fare structure, warning that it could push commuters back to using personal vehicles at a time when the government is trying to conserve the nation’s fuel use.

Today Mr. Prapat Chongsa-nguan, Governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which oversees the Bangkok's subway system, said that if the MRTA was able to buy back a 49 percent stake in the subway from BMCL, it would be able to lower the fares to a more acceptable level.

--TNA 2005-06-06

Speaking for subway operator, Bangkok Metro Co., Ltd. (BMCL), Maj. Gen. Chatchai Praditphong said that around 136,000 journeys had been made on the first day of the new fare structure yesterday, up from a weekday average of 110,000, as passengers flocked to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Give it a week or two before you declare victory, pal. One day's ridership figures don't necessarily paint the complete picture.

"Speaking for subway operator, Bangkok Metro Co., Ltd. (BMCL), Maj. Gen. Chatchai Praditphong said that around 136,000 journeys had been made on the first day of the new fare structure yesterday, up from a weekday average of 110,000, as passengers flocked to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre."

This is GREAT! You raise the fairs and the number of people goes up! They should raise it again!

Oh! better not! Maybe too many people will want to ride then and it would be too crowded!