BANGKOK, 10 January 2012 (NNT) – Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has approved a three-month extension to the free bus-train ride campaign while the 20-baht flat fare for all BTS routes is expected to be ready in 3 years.
Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Sukampol Suwannathat reported the progress of the Ministry’s current projects to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during her visit to the Ministry of Transport yesterday. He affirmed that all projects under the Ministry, despite having suffered some setbacks, will be beneficial to the country’s economy once they are finalized.
The Minister reported that the government’s campaign for a compatible tickets for bus, boat and skytrain users will be implemented in 2014. Meanwhile, the extension project of 10 BTS skytrain routes has been advanced from 2019 to 2015. Thus, the 20-baht flat rate for all BTS routes is speculated to be ready in 3 years time.
Air Chief Marshal Sukampol said the Prime Minister also gave a green light to the proposed extension of the free fare campaign for bus and train rides for a further period of three months, postponing the ending date from 15 January to 30 April 2012 to help reduce the financial burden of commuters. It is expected that the Ministry of Finance will propose the project to the cabinet today.
The Prime Minister also urged the Ministry to consider further plans of building a double track railway system between Bangkok and its vicinities to make traveling to and from Bangkok more convenient since a great number of people now live in the suburbs of Bangkok.
Additionally, the premier instructed related agencies to consider reducing transportation costs and applying possible discounted fares to public transports running in congested areas in order to reduce the number of private cars.
Reporter : Narumon Ngamsaithong
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