Four major candidates in the upcoming Bangkok gubernatorial election have opposed the extension of the Green Line railway concession, while insisting that fares could be capped at lower than 65 baht.
The four candidates are Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn from the Move Forward Party, Suchatvee Suwansawat from the Democrat Party and two independent candidates -- Rosana Tositrakul and Chadchart Sittipunt.
They were recently invited to discuss the matter during an online talk organised by the Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) regarding the fares of Bangkok's electric rail system, in the hope that their suggestions could change the mind of the cabinet, TCC secretary-general Saree Aongsomwang said.
Mr Chadchart pointed to the vague details and general confusion about the concession on the Green Line extension that has been operated by the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC).
For example, the contract allows the company to operate the Green Line until the year 2042 but its concession will end in 2029. Moreover, the government wanted to extend the concession for another 30 years until 2059 while setting the maximum fare at 65 baht.
Mr Chadchart said it is possible to cap the fare rate at 25-30 baht per trip and argued that it would be premature to extend the concession now as the current concession has not yet expired.
Ms Rosana said the reason for setting the maximum fare at 65 baht is that the private company must share about 200 billion baht of its income with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), as stipulated in the contract.
Ms Rosana said that if she is chosen as Bangkok's governor, she would promote a joint ticketing system for the complete electronic rail system at a rate of 40-45 baht per ride. That would attract more commuters to use it, up from 1.2 million at present to 3-5 million in the future, she added.
Mr Wiroj suggested the BMA should expedite negotiations to resolve the debt issue of 57 billion baht with the service operator, and set an appropriate fare rate for commuters.
Mr Suchatvee said fares could be capped at 20-25 baht if the BMA issued a Bangkok infrastructure fund.
