Behold, BTS to get more expensive in October

By Coconuts Bangkok 

 

A BTS train enters the On Nut station. Photo: My Train Pix/ Flickr

 

BANGKOK: -- From Oct. 1, it will cost you a few coins more to catch the BTS. The transportation company that runs the skytrain system has announced it will increase the fares by THB1-3 for the main Sukhumvit and Silom lines in exchange for more trains and a better ticketing system.

 

Surapong Laoha-Unya, Director of Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited, said the organization has purchased 46 more trains, which will arrive Thailand in the beginning of next year while the ticket vending machines will be replaced with the ones with touch screens — some of these machines will accept notes.

 

Surapong added that the BTS fares have not been adjusted in 4 years, while its operation cost has been continuingly increased, Matichon reported.

 

Full story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/behold-bts-get-expensive-october/

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2017-08-29

I really do hope all the paperwork is in order, I would hate to see all these new trains rotting away at Laem Chabeang (spl) 

Touch screens you say. Oh my, they cant even use the ones with the coins never mind touch screens. 

 

Good luck with that 

Should install more ticket barriers and improve service with the price increase. The service is getting worse lately due to increasing ridership. 

It is amazing how the big boys (road tolls as well) seem to get away with increases on a regular basis 

up to 60% in 10 years, but they refuse to allow the taxi drivers any more than 15% in the same time frame

2 hours ago, shady86 said:

Should install more ticket barriers and improve service with the price increase. The service is getting worse lately due to increasing ridership. 

The MRT has more efficient services than the BTS. The MRT cashiers will give you a token, whereas BTS cashiers just give you change so you have to wait in 2 or 3 long lines (one to enter the platform). It's inefficient but TIT!!!

Something to understand is that, in the world of mass-transit, we really don't want single-ride ticket sales. They are expensive to service (manpower, change, filling machines etc etc) we would much rather everyone used stored value / trip based tickets so maximum convenience for single-ride isn't a great priority.

 

Indeed, a system I did for Chiang Mai BRT some years back (which never got built) didn't have single-ride at all, it was deemed cheaper (verified by CMU) to give everyone registered in CM a smart-card which could have single-rides, trip or stored value loaded on it (pretty much what Rabbit does). Tourists could buy Tourist Cards to keep as souvenirs.

may i ask a question, why dont they add more carriages, or is that not feasable

Just now, mercman24 said:

may i ask a question, why dont they add more carriages, or is that not feasable

Money!

1 hour ago, barefootbangkok said:

The MRT has more efficient services than the BTS. The MRT cashiers will give you a token, whereas BTS cashiers just give you change so you have to wait in 2 or 3 long lines (one to enter the platform). It's inefficient but TIT!!!

 

The MRT also operates a discount system for the more 'mature' of us no matter their nationality, whereas the BTS operates a racist Thai-only policy.

And the refusal of BTS cashiers to sell you a one-ride ticket is truly bizarre. What is the logic of that? Sorry, I said logic and we're in Thailand.

4 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

The MRT also operates a discount system for the more 'mature' of us no matter their nationality, whereas the BTS operates a racist Thai-only policy.

And the refusal of BTS cashiers to sell you a one-ride ticket is truly bizarre. What is the logic of that? Sorry, I said logic and we're in Thailand.

We were in Bangkok earlier this month. There was my wife, myself and our child. I approached the ticket counter at National Stadium and asked how much it would cost to go to Sala Deang and was told 75 baht. I thought we would get change but were given tickets. 

Mrt is actually cheaper than bts if you compare distance travelled. Im still wondering most stations are still stuck with 4-6 ticket barriers, commuters using Chong Nonsi during rush hour will understand what I mean.

1st to me I used the BTS was in 2008.The last time was in 2016.It seems 

to be getting worse.Rush hour was so packed that train after train would go by.

I suppose it would be too much to expect that the BTS's competence will improve in direct relationship to the increases?

49 minutes ago, thrilled said:

1st to me I used the BTS was in 2008.The last time was in 2016.It seems 

to be getting worse.Rush hour was so packed that train after train would go by.

Yep, but only in the direction which didn't need them.

4 hours ago, ripstanley said:

We were in Bangkok earlier this month. There was my wife, myself and our child. I approached the ticket counter at National Stadium and asked how much it would cost to go to Sala Deang and was told 75 baht. I thought we would get change but were given tickets. 

Someone must have misunderstood something. As has been pointed out, the BTS don't give tickets; you queue up for change that, in most countries, would be dispensed by a machine.

7 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Someone must have misunderstood something. As has been pointed out, the BTS don't give tickets; you queue up for change that, in most countries, would be dispensed by a machine.

Might have been a multi-ride ticket (card). Must have been.

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Might have been a multi-ride ticket (card). Must have been.

The tickets given to us were single ride only. I was surprised as well. I asked the cost because I was not sure how much for our boy. I handed over 100 baht expecting change and was given the tickets.

48 minutes ago, ripstanley said:

The tickets given to us were single ride only. I was surprised as well. I asked the cost because I was not sure how much for our boy. I handed over 100 baht expecting change and was given the tickets.

BTS ticket offices do indeed hand out tickets on occasion, particularly if the operator is training (they have to practice using the equipment in case all the automatic stuff fails). You got lucky

 

They should utilize the two security guards to sell tickets instead of randomly checking bags....