Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) to come up with new strategies to attract more commuters for the recently-launched Purple Line.
The elevated rail route linking Nonthaburi to the heart of Bangkok has failed to meet the target of attracting 60,000 to 70,000 commuters per day, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.
Maj Gen Sansern said the target was missed because the MRTA failed to provide a connection between the Purple Line and the Blue Line, making it inconvenient for commuters who want to connect from one line to another.
He said commuters who need to connect to the Blue Line to go further into central Bangkok can do so by taking a shuttle bus or making their own way.
Only about 20,000 commuters are using the route a day, according to MRTA figures, after the 23km route was officially launched on Aug 6.
The route runs from the Khlong Bang Phai terminal in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong district to Tao Poon station in Bangkok's Bang Sue district.
Many commuters complained that the route takes too long.
Some said the cost is too high and are staying away.
Gen Prayut urged the MRTA to explore the possibility of cutting its fares, Maj Gen Sansern said.
Gen Prayut has asked officials to work together to get the job done as soon as possible to provide convenience to commuters, Maj Gen Sansern said.
Maj Gen Sansern also urged the public to understand the government is working hard to solve the problem in various ways.
He said setting up the connection between two routes takes time.
MRTA governor Peerayuth Singpattanakul said yesterday said he had ordered officials to speed up the solution to technical problems and hasten work on the missing link between the two lines.
Once, the connection is completed, the number of commuters is expected to increase to 100,000 per day, he added.
Gen Prayut, who heads the National Council for Peace and Order, issued an order to use Section 44 under the interim charter to accelerate the work processes for the connection between the two routes.
Mr Peerayuth said the MRTA had hired Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Co (BEM) to solve technical problems.
Their report is expected to be finished in two months.
Regarding the desire to cut fares, he said the MRTA will hold talks with electric train concessionaires including the BEM, the Krungthep Thanakom, the operator of the BTS Skytrain, the State Railway of Thailand, the operator of the airport rail link by next month.
They will discuss the use of shared tickets which would bring the price of tickets down. It is not yet known by how much.