Transport authorities set to push for one ticket for all public transport in Bangkok
In a bid to make public transport more convenient for commuters, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) is set to propose the creation of joint tickets.
This would bring all public transport agencies together and for that to happen a law will have to be enforced.
Punya Chupanit, OTP’s director, told Thansettakij on Saturday that a draft of the act will be presented to a related subcommittee this month. The subcommittee is led by Pisak Jitviriyavasin, the Transport Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary.
Once approved, the draft will be presented to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob before it is forwarded to the Cabinet, Council of State and then Parliament.
The joint ticket act will set up rules on administration, definition, rates, which agencies will be responsible and how it is funded.
OTP said the joint ticket should not be affected by the EMV Contactless card, which is used on some electric trains and boats. He said the card is one of the standards for the joint ticket and was mentioned in the contract negotiation.
Meanwhile, Surapong Laoha-unya, executive director of the Bangkok Transit System Corporation Ltd (BTSC), said the company was talking to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Krungthai Bank about creating a joint ticket for both the BTS and MRT.
He said it was not necessary to wait until the BTS Green Line extension row has been resolved because the company had been pushing for a joint ticket with the Rabbit Card for a long time now.
BTSC is also discussing the possibility of implementing the joint card system with BTS Pink and Yellow Lines when they open.
