Transit authority insists fares on Bangkok metro cheaper than Skytrain
In response to a Facebook post, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) explained that the distance covered by the Blue and Purple lines is 59 kilometres, not 44km as initially claimed.
Samart Ratchapolsitee, deputy chief of the Democrat Party, had on Sunday posted a comparison between the BTS Green Line and MRT Blue and Purple Line fares and asked why the MRT was more expensive when it is largely owned by the state.
The MRTA clarified that since the two lines covered a longer distance, the average fare per kilometre is Bt1.18, not Bt1.59 as calculated by Samart.
The authority also explained that the fare is set based on several factors, such as the average distance travelled by commuters.
The MRTA said the average commute covers eight stations and costs Bt33 on the Purple Line and Bt31 on the Blue Line. In comparison, the MRTA said, an eight-station commute on the BTS Green Line costs Bt40 or 20 per cent more than the MRT.
In his Facebook post, the politician had compared the average fare of a 1km trip on the
BTS Green Line versus the same distance on the MRT and showed that the BTS fare costs Bt1.23 while the MRT is Bt1.59.
He also pointed out that the 53km BTS run from Samut Prakan’s Kheha station to Pathum Thani’s Khu Khot station costs just Bt65, while the 44km MRT line from Khlong Bang Phai station in Nonthaburi to Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok costs Bt70.
