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Transport firms pressure govt over NGV prices
WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE GOVERNMENT is being challenged by groups of transportation operators over whether to allow them to raise public fares or halt rising NGV (natural gas for vehicles) prices, while truck operators threaten to protest at the Energy Ministry this week against NGV price hikes.

Kris Suriyaphol, secretary of the Land Transportation Association of Thailand, yesterday submitted a letter to Energy Minister Narongchai Akrasanee at the ministry's office, calling for revocation of the policy to increase the price of NGV, which the ministry has already rolled up by 50 satang per kilogram to Bt13.

Under the government's fuel-price restructuring policy to reflect real cost, the NGV price will be raised further to Bt15-Bt16 per kilo.

Kris said the association's members would gather later this week in front of the Energy Ministry's compound to protest the policy on NGV price hikes if the ministry did not change tack.

Previously, the ministry had a policy to promote and encourage trucks to use NGV engines instead of diesel engines, citing that this would save transportation costs.

"But the NGV price is now on the rise, and could reportedly reach Bt20 per kilo. This will affect truck operators' costs significantly," he said.

He added that the rise in NGV prices ran counter to declining trend for world petroleum prices. If NGV prices stood at a high level, there would be no further investment in NGV filling stations for trucks because the price of diesel was likely to remain low for at least a year, he warned.

Currently, about 400,000 trucks run on NGV, accounting for 40 per cent of total supply of 9,000 tonnes a day.

Meanwhile, the Thai Bus Business Association yesterday submitted a letter to the Transport Ministry requesting urgent consideration of an increase in minimum fares from Bt8 to Bt11 for non-air-conditioned buses, and from Bt11-Bt12 to Bt14-Bt15 for air-conditioned buses, due to the increase in the price of NGV.

The association gave the ministry just one week to consider the matter.

Previously, the Taxi Drivers' Cooperatives in Bangkok called on the Land Transport Department to consider allowing them to raise taxi fares by 13 per cent in the second phase, after an agreed 5-per-cent hike in the middle of the year.

Moreover, taxi drivers have asked for the first-phase hike to be brought forward from July to April to help minimise the burden of higher costs - an average of more than Bt100 a day - due to the rising price of NGV.

If their request for a further fare rise is not granted, they want the government to pay them more compensation for using NGV. They have suggested a rise of Bt4.5 per kilo, from Bt3 currently.

Nuttachat Charuchinda, chief operating officer for the upstream petroleum and gas business group at PTT, said that under the company's NGV-station expansion plan for 2015-17, it would add 20 stations, mainly in provinces such as Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Sawan, Sara Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima.

By the end of 2017, PTT will have a total of 518 NGV stations, he said

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Transport-firms-pressure-govt-over-NGV-prices-30253305.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-04