Purple Line to kick off fare reduction scheme on Dec 1

The policy aims to reduce the public’s financial burden by capping the fare for all electric trains at 20 baht throughout the route.

The MRT Purple Line connects the northern part of Bangkok to the western section of the city over a distance of 23 km and 16 stations.

Meanwhile, the connecting routes between the Purple Line and Red Line urban train, operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), will be ready to implement the 20-baht fare cap by the new year, MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said on Thursday.

Parts of the Red Line have already complied with the government’s 20-baht fare policy. The government will compensate the SRT for the lost revenue to the tune of 80 million baht per year.

The MRT, meanwhile, estimated that the measure will cause a revenue loss of around 190 million baht per year, or nearly 40% of its average annual revenue of around 500 million baht.

On average, a Purple Line passenger pays 23 baht per trip, said Pakapong, adding that the maximum fare is currently 42 baht.

The minimum fare will remain the same at 14 baht once the 20-baht fare cap kicks in.

MRTA also estimated that the policy will help increase the number of users by 17% from currently around 56,000 people per day to 66,000 people per day.

Pakapong added that the MRTA planned to offset the lost revenue by reducing contributions from its Blue Line train to the Finance Ministry. Last year, the Blue Line contributed 311 million baht and, in the first half of this year, the contribution was 223 million baht.

MRTA is also negotiating with Bangkok Expressway and Metro Pcl (BEM), which operates some sections of the MRT trains, to consider joining the 20-baht fare cap campaign. The company is reportedly studying the projected loss of revenue from the policy, Pakapong added.