Bangkok:The Ministry of Transport is set to propose to the Cabinet a budget allocation to compensate for a fare system on all electric train lines, with fares ranging from 17 to 45 baht, starting January 1, 2027.
According to Thai News Agency, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Siripong Angkasakulkiat, outlined the government's plan to implement a unified fare system across all BTS Skytrain lines. This proposal includes a budget request of 5,000-5,800 million baht for Cabinet approval by early November. The initiative is aimed at reducing public transportation costs and promoting increased usage among the public, without affecting existing concession agreements with private operators.
Under the proposed fare reduction measure, passengers will initially pay the full fare. The government will later refund the difference through the Paotang application, a system designed to ensure that only Thai citizens benefit from the discount, excluding foreign users.
The Ministry is collaborating with Krung Thai Bank to integrate the payment systems, aiming to link EMV and Rabbit cards to the Paotang app. This integration is a short-term measure expected to take between six months to a year, with ongoing negotiations to upgrade the BTS card reader systems to the EMV standard in the long term.
Negotiations with private concessionaires, such as the Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited and the Bangkok Expressway and Rail Public Company Limited, have been finalized without objections, as the measure does not alter existing pricing structures.