Pheu Thai’s ‘quick win’ 20-baht train fare policy a resounding success, boasts Suriya
The government’s policy to apply a flat 20-baht fare on two electric railways has proven to be successful, pushing the number of passengers up by almost 18% over the past five months.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Wednesday that after the 20-baht flat fare was applied, the two electric railway lines boasted a 17.94% increase in commuters, with an average of 92,714 passengers per trip. Before this, the Red and Purple lines averaged some 78,611 passengers per trip.
He was citing statistics from the Rail Transport Department.
Suriya said this 20-baht flat rate policy introduced on October 15 was part of coalition leader Pheu Thai Party’s “quick win” schemes.
The department reported that from October 16 to March 14, the Red Line reported 27,683 commuters per trip, up 27.97% when compared to before the flat rate was introduced. Similarly, the average number of passengers on the Purple Line rose to 65,179 per trip or by 14.39%.
Suriya added that the 20-baht flat fare policy results in 2.6 million baht worth of economic, social and environmental benefits per day.
He added that this policy will encourage more people to use public transport, cutting down on pollution and energy consumption in the country.
