Slight Rise In Bangkok B T S Skytrain Fares In June

[webfact]

FARES
Slight rise in BTS fares in June
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- New fares will take effect on the original network of the Skytrain from June 1. The maximum fare rise will be from Bt40 to Bt42 per trip. The original network covers a combined 23.5 kilometres.

There are two lines - one stretches from On Nut to Mo

Chit, the other from the National Stadium to Saphan Taksin, with Siam as the interchange station between the two lines.

Current fares on the original network are from Bt15 to Bt40 per trip. Service fees for extended routes will be determined by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which is now offering free rides from Saphan Taksin to Talat Phlu.

Keeree Kanjanapas, BTS Group Holdings chairman and chief executive officer, said earlier that the fare hike, the first in eight years, was to cope with higher operating costs. Under the concession, the maximum fare can be raised up to Bt56.


-- The Nation 2013-04-30

[rheinwiese]

And again they have quietly increased the 30-day smart pass prices. But no mention.

New smart pass fares effective June1st:

50 trips (22 baht per trip)
40 trips (23 baht per trip)
25 trips (25 baht per trip)
15 trips (27 baht per trip)

This is the 3rd ! time and 35% total increase in 6 years.

Back in 08 a 20 trip pass was 400 Baht. (20 Baht per trip)
Now under the new fare table it's 27 Baht per trip. (15 trip pass)

On a side note:
for the vast majority of working Thais in Bangkok the BTS tickets are way too expensive.

They can't afford to pay 100 Baht per day or more for their daily commute.

[whybother]

How will people pay for 42 baht tickets with 5 and 10 baht coins?

[MaxLee]

Even with those 30-50 trip option, you still have to pay the extra 15 if you travel from and to the New Sukhumvit lines, that would make over 900 Baht extra....

... and the brakes are as jerky as hell, and there are also temporary blackouts before arriving at some stations as well, like for example from Bangchak BEFORE arriving at Onnut station, the lights temporarily go off...

[candypants]

where does it say anything about a 42 baht ticket?

edit: oops. in bold below the headline

Edited April 30, 2013 by candypants

[laurentbkk]

rise of price .... what about more cars ? those already used are packed with people ...... like sardines in a can ... I noticed , as I come back from Europe a week ago, that many things in Thailand is more expensive than European country , road tolls for instance ... the time for bag packing is over in the city .

[dantilley]

How will people pay for 42 baht tickets with 5 and 10 baht coins?

Good point, I assume every ticket machine will need to be modified.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[brewsterbudgen]

rise of price .... what about more cars ? those already used are packed with people ...... like sardines in a can ... I noticed , as I come back from Europe a week ago, that many things in Thailand is more expensive than European country , road tolls for instance ... the time for bag packing is over in the city .

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe. And while it's crowded at rush hour and weekends when there is a reduced service, what public transportation system isn't? The BTS (and MRT) are one of the best things about living in Bangkok IMO.

[Xonax]

rise of price .... what about more cars ? those already used are packed with people ...... like sardines in a can ... I noticed , as I come back from Europe a week ago, that many things in Thailand is more expensive than European country , road tolls for instance ... the time for bag packing is over in the city .

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe. And while it's crowded at rush hour and weekends when there is a reduced service, what public transportation system isn't? The BTS (and MRT) are one of the best things about living in Bangkok IMO.

The BTS is certainly NOT only crowded at rush hour, but all day! I am speaking about the Sukhumvit line and don´t know about the Silom line.

[BuddyPinkham]

I read this as the fare will rise to 42 baht if you only ride the total distance. I guess I am wrong

[VocalNeal]

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe.

Nothing in Thailand or Asia should be compared to Europe or anywhere else for that matter. They are separate continents and cultures. What things cost here or there are irrelevant.

Think local!

[brewsterbudgen]

rise of price .... what about more cars ? those already used are packed with people ...... like sardines in a can ... I noticed , as I come back from Europe a week ago, that many things in Thailand is more expensive than European country , road tolls for instance ... the time for bag packing is over in the city .

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe. And while it's crowded at rush hour and weekends when there is a reduced service, what public transportation system isn't? The BTS (and MRT) are one of the best things about living in Bangkok IMO.

The BTS is certainly NOT only crowded at rush hour, but all day! I am speaking about the Sukhumvit line and don´t know about the Silom line.

I guess it depends on your definition of crowded. I commute by BTS every day (Sukhumvit line) and while it's packed in rush hour, it's perfectly OK during off-peak hours - not empty but hardly crowded.

[brewsterbudgen]

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe.

Nothing in Thailand or Asia should be compared to Europe or anywhere else for that matter. They are separate continents and cultures. What things cost here or there are irrelevant.

Think local!

Yes, but I'm British so for me it's still a bargain.

[Halion]

The BTS is still a bargain compared to most city transport systems in Europe.

Nothing in Thailand or Asia should be compared to Europe or anywhere else for that matter. They are separate continents and cultures. What things cost here or there are irrelevant.

Think local!

Totally agree, Comparisions require a common base line which simply does not exist.

[MaxPag]

I'm not sure to understand on how the fares will actually increase, ... Could someone explain this a bit more clearly?

[Thighlander]

How much will the all day pass be? Seems like it went from 100 to 120 a few years ago.

[bangon04]

How will people pay for 42 baht tickets with 5 and 10 baht coins?

Good point, I assume every ticket machine will need to be modified.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Just round it up to 45.....

[Jdietz]

Ticket machines have been (silently) accepting 1B coins forever (is a good way to get rid of hands full of change).

One day passes @120 Baht have never really been worth it, it's about the maximum you can spend by buying tickets all day, only convenient because of skipping queues.

[whybother]

Ticket machines have been (silently) accepting 1B coins forever (is a good way to get rid of hands full of change).

One day passes @120 Baht have never really been worth it, it's about the maximum you can spend by buying tickets all day, only convenient because of skipping queues.

The machines may take 1B coins, but unless they're planning to replace most of the ticket machines with the 5B increment buttons, I'm not sure that will help.

[Locationthailand]

Between a taxi to BTS or MRT - rail wins every time. Cost, speed to destination, and so on. But one would hope an extra carriage will be added to each train to support the rise. The system is very crowded all day now and getting hopeless at peak times. That in itself is an indication people will use it rather than a bus or car and the govt should take note and cause additional carriages to be added. It will ease the traffic problem if more people commuted by rail and do a great deal in reducing smog in BKK.

[IsaanUSA]

This is the 3rd ! time and 35% total increase in 6 years.

Back in 08 a 20 trip pass was 400 Baht. (20 Baht per trip)

Now under the new fare table it's 27 Baht per trip. (15 trip pass)

Have you been living in a cave? Prices for everything have increased everywhere.

Here's a German example for you : In August 2003 the original 50% discount Bahncard was reintroduced alongside the 25% Bahncard, however its price was increased from €120 to €200.

[vijer]

rise of price .... what about more cars ? those already used are packed with people ...... like sardines in a can ... I noticed , as I come back from Europe a week ago, that many things in Thailand is more expensive than European country , road tolls for instance ... the time for bag packing is over in the city .

I agree, Thailand is more expensive than the US now. When I first started visiting it was cheap, but now the greedy just want more.

They have no reason to raise the price but do so because there is so much ridership, and they are just greedy. The BTS is still faster and cheaper than any other mode of transportation in Bangkok so for 2 baht more Thai's will keep riding the BTS and the owners will rake in a huge amout of money without adding any improvement to the system. They need to add 2 cars to each train but they haven't done that even though it might actually increase ridership.

[thrilled]

I think it's still reasonable.If you don't go ahead and use A moped.Inflation it's going to get worse.

[carib102]

There's no need to add extra trains. When the crowding gets worse they can simply do like the Japanese.

Edited May 1, 2013 by carib102

[brewsterbudgen]

Between a taxi to BTS or MRT - rail wins every time. Cost, speed to destination, and so on. But one would hope an extra carriage will be added to each train to support the rise. The system is very crowded all day now and getting hopeless at peak times. That in itself is an indication people will use it rather than a bus or car and the govt should take note and cause additional carriages to be added. It will ease the traffic problem if more people commuted by rail and do a great deal in reducing smog in BKK.

They've only just added an extra carriage on the Sukhumvit line (although there is still the occasiobal 3 car train) so I don't expect a 5th carriage will be added any time soon. As a daily commuter (from Phra Khanong to Chitlom) I can say it is siginificanty less crowded than it was 6 months ago, so it looks like the addition of a 4th carriage has made a diiference.

[DLock]

...but Yingluck's campaign promise was that the maximum BTS fare would be 20 baht.

I thought the rice pledging scheme wold help subsidize this and the tablets for every child.

You mean she lied?

[theoldgit]

"For passengers using Rabbit cards or BTS Sky SmartPasses, the fare collection system will continue to deduct fares at the previous rates (15-40 Baht), until 31st December 2014."

[utalkin2me]

What stands out to me is that the article mentions the extensions will decide or consider what their increase will be. Almost as if they necessarily have to increase in tandem? The extension was just built on Sukhumvit, and the 15 baht flat fare is quiet ludicrous already, especially if you only go one stop on the extension.

In short, I don't think the extension should even be considering an increase because they just had a chance to set their price 6 or 7 months back. It seems they already set it high to me too.

Edited May 2, 2013 by utalkin2me

[utalkin2me]

And again they have quietly increased the 30-day smart pass prices. But no mention.

New smart pass fares effective June1st:

50 trips (22 baht per trip)

40 trips (23 baht per trip)

25 trips (25 baht per trip)

15 trips (27 baht per trip)

This is the 3rd ! time and 35% total increase in 6 years.

Back in 08 a 20 trip pass was 400 Baht. (20 Baht per trip)

Now under the new fare table it's 27 Baht per trip. (15 trip pass)

On a side note:

for the vast majority of working Thais in Bangkok the BTS tickets are way too expensive.

They can't afford to pay 100 Baht per day or more for their daily commute.

Thanks.

Where did you get this info?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

"For passengers using Rabbit cards or BTS Sky SmartPasses, the fare collection system will continue to deduct fares at the previous rates (15-40 Baht), until 31st December 2014."

Thanks for pointing that out Git... I hadn't noticed that part before. But it appears to be confirmed by a banner I saw today (see the 3rd image below) at one of the BTS stations, which also lists all the other fare details. See below:

It looks like it will take a trip of 8 stations of travel to reach the maximum 42 baht cash fare.

Meanwhile, they're also showing discounted rates for students and Rabbit card rates for seniors in the images above.

It's kind of odd, but hardly surprising, that the lousy The Nation article above makes no mention of the break that card holders will be getting, supposedly for the coming one and a half years until the end of 2014. You'd think that would be something worth telling BTS riders.

Edited May 2, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK