Mangmoom Card - is it ever going to happen?

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Crossy, I thought the current staff manning the BRT route are all BTS employees

BTS are the Concessionaire, they drive the vehicles, the Operator is a different animal, I get confused too and I work in the industry. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, Crossy said:

It was a bit more than a year back, but it came within a week of closing down.

 

When I said this past year, I meant 2017...

 

It was 2017, and you're also right that at this point it was a bit more than 12 months ago in late March 2017.

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/transpo/2017/03/27/official-bangkok-brt-wont-shut/

 

Quote

The BRT is owned by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and has been managed by the Bangkok Mass Transit System, which also operates the BTS Skytrain, since it launched in 2010.

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

23 minutes ago, YT3k72Em said:

I don't see the point.  The underground was only one line and one route for the first decade of it's life.

 

The point was, in the context of a huge metro area like BKK, having the Mangmoom card compatible on the one BRT line, while admirable, is like a drop of water in the vast ocean compared to it NOT being compatible as yet on the vast BMTA public bus network, that operates probably a couple hundred bus lines across the entire region.

 

Also, AFAIK, the government's current transit planning officials/agencies have absolutely NO plans to add any further lines/service/expansion to the current BRT line. It looks from all indications to be a one-off for Bangkok, and as mentioned, nearly was shuttered entirely this past year.

 

[CLW]

It also works on the airport buses in Chiang Mai and Phuket, apparently.

Sorry for going off-topic but there is an airport bus in Chiang Mai?
I know and have used the one in Phuket.

[Crossy]

7 hours ago, CLW said:

Sorry for going off-topic but there is an airport bus in Chiang Mai?
I know and have used the one in Phuket.

It might be called the Blue Bus, as noted earlier, if the forum search worked ...

[Lakegeneve]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The point was, in the context of a huge metro area like BKK, having the Mangmoom card compatible on the one BRT line, while admirable, is like a drop of water in the vast ocean compared to it NOT being compatible as yet on the vast BMTA public bus network, that operates probably a couple hundred bus lines across the entire region.

 

Also, AFAIK, the government's current transit planning officials/agencies have absolutely NO plans to add any further lines/service/expansion to the current BRT line. It looks from all indications to be a one-off for Bangkok, and as mentioned, nearly was shuttered entirely this past year.

 

This is correct.

 

The BMA had 5 routes that were planned to open by 2013 (Mo Chit to Chaeng Wattana, DMK to Minburi to BKK, Minburi to Samrong etc) and an eventual BRT plan for 9-10 lines. However, these were all abandoned in late 2010 given the problems that existed with the current BRT. (Those problems primarily stem from not having a dedicated lane 100% of the route esp. on Ratchada rd and sections of Rama 3). Also, don't forget that the BRT route runs essentially along what was one of 3 original planned BTS extensions (WWY 1st, Mo Chit north 2nd, Rama 3 3rd) although this was dropped back in 2003.

 

Not to be outdone, OTP had a BRT network plan for 12 lines. At least 8 of the lines of both plans were much the same routes.

Bangkok could have done a Jakarta and had a decent BRT network as an interim mass transit measure while building the heavy and light rail metro network.

Indeed, some of these lines in could have eventually have been converted to light rail. Jakarta has had plenty of problems with their BRT but it is decent newtork in the context of that city.

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by Lakegeneve

[CLW]

This is correct.
 
The BMA had 5 routes that were planned to open by 2013 (Mo Chit to Chaeng Wattana, DMK to Minburi to BKK, Minburi to Samrong etc) and an eventual BRT plan for 9-10 lines. However, these were all abandoned in late 2010 given the problems that existed with the current BRT. (Those problems primarily stem from not having a dedicated lane 100% of the route esp. on Ratchada rd and sections of Rama 3). Also, don't forget that the BRT route runs essentially along what was one of 3 original planned BTS extensions (WWY 1st, Mo Chit north 2nd, Rama 3 3rd) although this was dropped back in 2003.
 
Not to be outdone, OTP had a BRT network plan for 12 lines. At least 8 of the lines of both plans were much the same routes.

Bangkok could have done a Jakarta and had a decent BRT network as an interim mass transit measure while building the heavy and light rail metro network.
Indeed, some of these lines in could have eventually have been converted to light rail. Jakarta has had plenty of problems with their BRT but it is decent newtork in the context of that city.
 

I have seen a similar network in some Chinese cities that don't have a subway yet.
Older systems with tram busses, newer ones with Chinese built hybrid busses.

[CLW]

Regarding the use of the card for BMTA busses. They've installed this GPS and passenger information system in many busses for almost at least one year I would say.
Still it is not in use to my knowledge?

[Crossy]

The following is a true story.

 

=============

 

Long ago when dinosaurs, unicorns and dragons roamed, I did a lot of work for various mass-transit projects in inedible India (I'm now permanently barred from doing any mass-transit work in Delhi, but that's another story).

 

The Indian government had the laudable idea of a common transit card that would work all over India, in a moment of inspiration they called it, wait for it, the National Common Mobility Card.

 

Of course, like most government ideas it ran into issues with specification, budget (none, or at least none that wasn't already spoken for) and of course political and commercial wrangling/priorities.

 

As the deadline for the release approached (with no, zero, nada, sod-all, real work done) Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited, who were cited as being the first city to use the card, had a brilliant idea. "Let's issue cards which say (on the outside) 'National Common Mobility Card' but we'll program them as regular DMRCL stored value cards". To the public it looks like we have done as we promised but it costs zip and we can moan that the other cities building metros have not complied with the government directive, we look good at no cost.

 

And so, it came to pass that the NCMC came into existence (I have two although they're likely no longer valid) and then quietly faded away into the realms of things that might have been.

 

=============

 

 

 

 

[Argus Tuft]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

The following is a true story.

 

=============

 

Long ago when dinosaurs, unicorns and dragons roamed, I did a lot of work for various mass-transit projects in inedible India (I'm now permanently barred from doing any mass-transit work in Delhi, but that's another story).

 

The Indian government had the laudable idea of a common transit card that would work all over India, in a moment of inspiration they called it, wait for it, the National Common Mobility Card.

 

Of course, like most government ideas it ran into issues with specification, budget (none, or at least none that wasn't already spoken for) and of course political and commercial wrangling/priorities.

 

As the deadline for the release approached (with no, zero, nada, sod-all, real work done) Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited, who were cited as being the first city to use the card, had a brilliant idea. "Let's issue cards which say (on the outside) 'National Common Mobility Card' but we'll program them as regular DMRCL stored value cards". To the public it looks like we have done as we promised but it costs zip and we can moan that the other cities building metros have not complied with the government directive, we look good at no cost.

 

And so, it came to pass that the NCMC came into existence (I have two although they're likely no longer valid) and then quietly faded away into the realms of things that might have been.

 

=============

 

 

 

 

...and here endeth the lesson  (Thanks Crossy)

meaning = lets see what happens with the Mangmoom/Rabbit/MRT debacle

[Argus Tuft]

I'm calling BS on the Dinosaurs though Crossy.  No way they ever existed.

[blackcab]

So instead of one card to rule all, why don't they make it that all cards are compatible on each other's networks?

 

Like the way EasyPass and MPass work.

[CLW]

Today I used one of the old red MRTA busses line 29. The card reader seems to be running and ready. Fingers crossed the system is working soon.
What about the private concession busses such as #29, 44 and 8.
Will there be also card readers installed?
BTW, I never understood the reason or purpose for outsourcing some bus lines.
Anyone has some background information on this?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 6/28/2018 at 7:59 PM, CLW said:

Today I used one of the old red MRTA busses line 29. The card reader seems to be running and ready. Fingers crossed the system is working soon.
What about the private concession busses such as #29, 44 and 8.
Will there be also card readers installed?
BTW, I never understood the reason or purpose for outsourcing some bus lines.
Anyone has some background information on this?

 

I was in the MRT Sukhumvit station over the weekend, and corralled one of the MRT ticket agents there. Her English wasn't great, but was enough to tell me that NO, I couldn't buy/get a Mangmoom card from them, and that if I wanted one, I'd have to go to the Purple line.

 

At least, she didn't answer that, "No, you are farang. Can't have one." But that omission may or may not have been a telling one in her case.

 

[CLW]

Last weekend I let my gf ask about the Mangmoom card at Lad Phrao MRT.
Staff said they're sold out what ever that means.