City trains ‘for rich men only’

The Thailand Consumers’ Council (TCC) has asked the government to lower ticket fares for Bangkok’s trains and keep them at under 10% of the daily minimum wage, equal to about 33 baht per round-trip.

Saree Aongsomwang, secretary-general of the newly established consumer protection body, said the cost of public transport in Bangkok had become too expensive for many travellers and it was deterring people from using it.

She cited the case of the BTS Green Line, whose new fares mean commuters would have to pay more than 100 baht to travel on the whole route.

“The price is unacceptable when compared with the daily minimum wage of 331 baht per day — lower-income people can’t afford the electric train service,” she said.

“Mass transit in Bangkok has become a rich man’s toy, not a real mass-transit system.”

In response to the Bangkok governor’s latest decision to…