Free public transport policy reduces personal vehicle use by 10%

The government’s campaign of reducing air pollution by offering free public transport for seven days (January 25-31) lowered personal vehicle usage in Bangkok by nearly 10 per cent and led to a 38% rise in travel by electric train, the Transport Ministry reported on Friday.

The ministry’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) reported that the number of personal vehicles in Bangkok during these seven days decreased by around 500,000, a 10% drop from the normal period. 

Personal cars make up for half of the city’s overall traffic at around 10 million vehicles, the OTP said.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s Rail Transport Department reported the total number of electric train passengers from January 25-30 at 12,085,213 people, increasing from the same period of the previous week by 3,369,746 people – 38.66%.

The department added that January 30 saw a new high in electric train passengers since Covid-19, at 2,331,534 million people, increasing 42.93% from the previous week.

Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the reduced usage of personal vehicles had helped in lowering traffic emissions, one of the main sources of PM2.5 dust particles, in the city.

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, posing health risks such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Suriya added that the public’s positive response to the measure showed that people were willing to adjust their travel behaviour to use public transportation, provided the fares were affordable.

“This serves as an indicator that the 20-baht flat free initiative for electric trains on all routes that the ministry is set to implement this year should also be well-received by the public,” he said.

For the medium- to long-term plan, the ministry will accelerate efforts to promote public transportation while transitioning to clean, environmentally friendly energy sources for vehicles, said Suriya. This will also involve considering measures such as a congestion charge in selected areas in the city, he added.

Additionally, the government will adjust excise and customs taxes for electric vehicles (EVs) to promote usage, while limiting the use of older cars or imposing taxes on them. Meanwhile, public buses with internal combustion engines will also be replaced with EV counterparts, said Suriya.