Skytrain fare hikes not fair on commuters

Skytrain fare hikes not fair on commuters

In the next few weeks, Bangkok residents may have reason to consider whether they should continue living in the capital where they haven't been well-served by City Hall.

Starting next month, more than one million BTS skytrain commuters will have to pay more for their regular journeys. The BTS operator plans to raise its fares and City Hall is likely to approve it.

Last week, the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), the BTS operator, announced that it would raise fares on its 23.5-km network by one to three baht per trip. The hikes exclude the skytrain extensions operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

The BMA was quick to say that the price hikes would be possible because there haven't been any increases over the past four years. In fact, the BMA said, the operator was entitled to increase fares every 18 months. On top of that, it said the operator didn't break the concession contract because fare rises do not exceed the ceiling set at 60.31 baht.

This means BTS fares will increase to 16-44 baht from 15-42 baht per trip. Yes, it doesn't sound much -- only if you don't have to pay additionally a separate fare of 15 baht for any of the skytrain extensions operated by City Hall, and for other modes of transport such as buses, boats and motorcycle taxis.

If the BMA approves the fare hikes, it will face strong criticism from commuters. Such a decision will, again, show hat the BMA gives priority to business operators over to city dwellers because they generate revenue to make the country's GDP look good.

City Hall seems to be oblivious to the burden on BTS passengers, much in the same way many of its previous actions and decisions that ignored the needs of Bangkok people who want the city to be more liveable. Instead, it has made the city a tougher place for people to live in.

The price hikes are not "the first in four years" as claimed. Two years ago, the BMA approved price increases for BTS monthly passes.

According to the Foundation for Consumers, Bangkok train fares are more than double than those in Tokyo even though the train network here is much smaller and the average cost of living here is lower.

The average Bangkok resident already faces the prospect of a higher cost of living and the BTS fare hikes will make it worse for them.

Within a week of the hike, the tolls on two expressways will increase by five baht, while the price of cooking gas will rise 10 baht per 15-kilogram tank. Meanwhile, pay cheques will remain the same.

When it attempted to justify the fare hikes, the BTS operator told the media that it would spend 20 billion baht to procure an additional 46 trains and 50 touch screen ticket vending machines, to upgrade its service by next year. Will revenue collected from the fare increases be used to fund these procurement plans?

Hasn't the operator earned anything from renting out space at train stations to vendors whose kiosks selling tea, coffee or waffles, or providing currency exchange or postal services make walkways narrower? How about the Ikea bed ad displays that block the walkway in the middle of stations?

Hasn't it generated any revenue from providing skywalks that link some BTS stations to commercial or residential complexes? And don't forget revenue from advertising we are forced to tolerate from noisy television screens or visual displays whenever we board the trains.

Skytrain passengers know very well how poor the BTS service is. Regularly, they have to queue up twice to get a ticket -- first to exchange bank notes for coins and then use the coins in a ticketing machine.

Frequently, they suffer train delays waiting on over-crowded platforms. They can only complain about it but have no other better choices.

Back to the fare hikes, I wonder whether this is possibly a move to make the service exclusively for the middle class. A number of less well-off BTS commuters may be forced to use buses if they find the price rises burdensome.

The BTS platforms and stations, partly occupied by commercial booths and ad signs, don't seem to be able to accommodate rising numbers of passengers.

I'm not sure if this is part of a BMA plot to encourage people to leave Bangkok and go back to their hometowns or somewhere else.


Sirinya Wattanasukchai is an assistant news editor, Bangkok Post.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

Columnist

Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist for the Bangkok Post.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (7)