Transport Ministry to Launch Common Ticketing System Next Year

[Jacob Maslow]

The Transport Ministry plans to launch a common ticketing system for BTS trains and expressways next year. The system will launch in the Bangkok area next August and expand to other transport systems in the future.

According to the acting director of the Common Ticketing Office, the central clearing house for common tickets will be designed in the first half of 2015. Equipment installation and the construction of the central clearing house will take place from August to February of 2016. Tests are scheduled to run from March to August of 2016. BSV Group will be developing the clearing house. Currently, the group includes Smart Traffic Co, Vix Mobility Co and Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (operator of BTS trains).

The launch of a common ticketing system could benefit commuters and travelers greatly when it launches in 2016. Through this new ticketing system, travel on the expressways of Expressway Authority of Thailand and BTS skytrains would be covered. In the near future, the system would expand to also include the Airport Rail Link, subways and certain intercity motorways.

Soithip Trisuddhi, permanent secretary for transport, stated that new electric railways would be compatible with the new ticketing system as well as Chao Phraya River passenger boats and Bangkok Mass Transit Authority buses.

A public-private company will be formed to operate the clearing house and the common ticketing system. The government could have up to a 50% stake in the new company. A committee will also be set up to supervise the system. The transport minister will chair the new committee.

Thailand isn’t the first country to implement a common ticketing system. Many other Asian countries have implemented similar systems to improve public transport systems. But for travelers in Thailand, the new ticketing system could mean a quicker, more efficient means of traveling.

-- 2015-03-11

[pitrevie]

I have lost count how many times a common ticketing system is to be launched but it is always next year. At least when I was in Italy it was always domani which somehow seemed much better but was probably the same way of saying the same thing.

[tx22cb]

Linking BTS (overhead light rail) and Expressway Toll roads)?

I'd prefer they link BTS with the MRT (underground), which would be much more convenient.

[bra]

Linking BTS (overhead light rail) and Expressway Toll roads)?

I'd prefer they link BTS with the MRT (underground), which would be much more convenient.

I agree. It does say "in the near future" (whatever that may mean in this context) for additional services including the subway.

Edited March 11, 2015 by bra

[Bangkok Barry]

Why would people using cars on the expressway need a ticket for the BTS? The usual complete lack of Thai logic. LINK THE BTS AND MRT! People transfer from one to the other, not from the expressway to the BTS. Why is that so difficult to understand?

[MiKT]

Why would people using cars on the expressway need a ticket for the BTS? The usual complete lack of Thai logic. LINK THE BTS AND MRT! People transfer from one to the other, not from the expressway to the BTS. Why is that so difficult to understand?

There is no actual physical link between the BTS, Blue Line Subway, Airport Link, new lines like the Purple Line, the smart Bus system and the Tollways; it's simply a common ticketing system using the same smart card format (the Thailand Smart Card) that can be used on the trains, busses, taxi's, on the tollways and in the future for other applications like 7/11 etc. Why is that so dificult to understand, it is very common in other countries now, eg Korea, Singapore, HK, London, etc. The Thailand central clearing house system will eventually also allow the use of ENV cards eg Mastercard, Visa, etc for common ticketing as well as purchasing other services.

The Initial system should come into operation next year and it is intended that the cards will be useable on the BTS, Blue Line and Purple line at least.

[Rogergreybeard]

Way, way into the future

[sawati]

There we go...Next year...again,

[Gunna]

Why would people using cars on the expressway need a ticket for the BTS? The usual complete lack of Thai logic. LINK THE BTS AND MRT! People transfer from one to the other, not from the expressway to the BTS. Why is that so difficult to understand?

There is no actual physical link between the BTS, Blue Line Subway, Airport Link, new lines like the Purple Line, the smart Bus system and the Tollways; it's simply a common ticketing system using the same smart card format (the Thailand Smart Card) that can be used on the trains, busses, taxi's, on the tollways and in the future for other applications like 7/11 etc. Why is that so dificult to understand, it is very common in other countries now, eg Korea, Singapore, HK, London, etc. The Thailand central clearing house system will eventually also allow the use of ENV cards eg Mastercard, Visa, etc for common ticketing as well as purchasing other services.

The Initial system should come into operation next year and it is intended that the cards will be useable on the BTS, Blue Line and Purple line at least.

What is difficult to understand is that they already have the Easy Pass System on the Bangkok Tollways, but hardly anyone uses them - maybe because you have to buy credit to load on the card and it is fixed to the vehicles front windscreen - most Thais still prefer queuing up and paying cash, even when some tolls are only 10bt .

Plus it won't work on the Chonburi Tollway.

Should they should just expand Easy Pass to works on all Toll roads and then slowly do away with cash collection.

One would think they could organise that in a few months

Hard to see how the Easy Pass system can be made portable to carry on trains, so they are going to start another system ?

Surely it makes more sense to keep Easy Pass for Tollways and a common ticketing system for people using BTS, MRT & SRT and then add buses and ferries

[MiKT]

Why would people using cars on the expressway need a ticket for the BTS? The usual complete lack of Thai logic. LINK THE BTS AND MRT! People transfer from one to the other, not from the expressway to the BTS. Why is that so difficult to understand?

There is no actual physical link between the BTS, Blue Line Subway, Airport Link, new lines like the Purple Line, the smart Bus system and the Tollways; it's simply a common ticketing system using the same smart card format (the Thailand Smart Card) that can be used on the trains, busses, taxi's, on the tollways and in the future for other applications like 7/11 etc. Why is that so dificult to understand, it is very common in other countries now, eg Korea, Singapore, HK, London, etc. The Thailand central clearing house system will eventually also allow the use of ENV cards eg Mastercard, Visa, etc for common ticketing as well as purchasing other services.

The Initial system should come into operation next year and it is intended that the cards will be useable on the BTS, Blue Line and Purple line at least.

What is difficult to understand is that they already have the Easy Pass System on the Bangkok Tollways, but hardly anyone uses them - maybe because you have to buy credit to load on the card and it is fixed to the vehicles front windscreen - most Thais still prefer queuing up and paying cash, even when some tolls are only 10bt .

Plus it won't work on the Chonburi Tollway.

Should they should just expand Easy Pass to works on all Toll roads and then slowly do away with cash collection.

One would think they could organise that in a few months

Hard to see how the Easy Pass system can be made portable to carry on trains, so they are going to start another system ?

Surely it makes more sense to keep Easy Pass for Tollways and a common ticketing system for people using BTS, MRT & SRT and then add buses and ferries

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, do away with cash collection in Thailand, do you remember when they had to bring the army to collect the tolls on the Chonbury Motorway because the level of skimming was so high?

It is also rumoured that "allegedly" on at least one motorway, the basic toll system software which is supposed to ensure the right amount of money is collected from drivers and the right amount of tax paid to the gov. was "accidentally" flawed from day one. Note Allegedly, totally hearsay without any proof and not to be used to sue me for defamation. But it is also "Allegedly" the reason why the Easy Pass has not been universally adopted.

I love the Easy Pass and they are one of the contractors involved in the new "Central Clearing House" system. Hopefully it will be used on all the tollways one day. It does not have to take the form of a smart card that needs to be swiped over (near) a reader. It can be, or it can remain a longer distance RFI card (or both) just as long as the software system is compatible with the Central Clearing house Software.

But we need a word or two from "Crossy" who is the real expert on this system. Get off your bum you lazy b and tell us all about the proposed system. Especially dates.

[bangon04]

As other posters have hinted, wouldn't it be nice if they could just have a simple and foolproof system to use the same payments and stored value cards on the BTS and the MRT ?

If they demonstrate they can manage this massive task which has so stretched / defeated their abilities over the years, then we would trust them to take the next, bigger step....

[LuckyLew]

Linking public transport with car/bus/truck tollways makes little sense to me --- discover Thainess?

Why not link all buses? or MTS/MRT and Alink?

One step forward ... two steps backwards

[Crossy]

I could write reams on the total cluster fart that is transit revenue collection in Bangkok, but I won't because I like my job

Anyway, to the Thai Common Ticket.

OTP - the Office of Transport Policy and Planning decided some years back that they wanted a common payment card for all transport modes, what has just been announced is the culmination of years of dithering.

The intention is to eventually have a system similar to Octopus in HongKong. Octopus is a micro payment cash replacement, it started as a metro only system, expanded to bus and ferry payment and is now almost universally accepted for payment from anything from chewing gum to (think of something more expensive).

Rabbit could potentially expand to meet that need, it was politics and the lack of a commercial agreement that prevented Rabbit working on the MRT at least two years ago, all the work had been done, it literally just needed turning on. Rabbit has the hop on the OTP project as it already has NFC payment via your smartphone (AIS only) and several co-branding deals (e.g. McDonalds).

We shall see how things pan out.

[MiKT]

I could write reams on the total cluster fart that is transit revenue collection in Bangkok, but I won't because I like my job

Anyway, to the Thai Common Ticket.

OTP - the Office of Transport Policy and Planning decided some years back that they wanted a common payment card for all transport modes, what has just been announced is the culmination of years of dithering.

The intention is to eventually have a system similar to Octopus in HongKong. Octopus is a micro payment cash replacement, it started as a metro only system, expanded to bus and ferry payment and is now almost universally accepted for payment from anything from chewing gum to (think of something more expensive).

Rabbit could potentially expand to meet that need, it was politics and the lack of a commercial agreement that prevented Rabbit working on the MRT at least two years ago, all the work had been done, it literally just needed turning on. Rabbit has the hop on the OTP project as it already has NFC payment via your smartphone (AIS only) and several co-branding deals (e.g. McDonalds).

We shall see how things pan out.

Very sagacious,

can you use an octopus to do what rabbits do?

[Argus Tuft]

I could write reams on the total cluster fart that is transit revenue collection in Bangkok, but I won't because I like my job

Anyway, to the Thai Common Ticket.

OTP - the Office of Transport Policy and Planning decided some years back that they wanted a common payment card for all transport modes, what has just been announced is the culmination of years of dithering.

The intention is to eventually have a system similar to Octopus in HongKong. Octopus is a micro payment cash replacement, it started as a metro only system, expanded to bus and ferry payment and is now almost universally accepted for payment from anything from chewing gum to (think of something more expensive).

Rabbit could potentially expand to meet that need, it was politics and the lack of a commercial agreement that prevented Rabbit working on the MRT at least two years ago, all the work had been done, it literally just needed turning on. Rabbit has the hop on the OTP project as it already has NFC payment via your smartphone (AIS only) and several co-branding deals (e.g. McDonalds).

We shall see how things pan out.

I'm late to the party with this one, missed this story a couple of months back.

Too many false starts on this, so I'm reluctant to think that this time it is finally back on track again (pun intended)

Rabbit has the hop on the OTP project

I see what you did there