Operators of private Bangkok buses demand fare increase
Some 200 operators of private Bangkok buses rallied at the Transport Ministry Monday morning to demand an increase in fares.
Representatives of the operators of the private buses that operate under concession from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority rallied to remind the transport minister of his earlier promise to help them shoulder increased costs.
They said they want the fare for non-air-conditioned buses to be raised from Bt9 to Bt12. For air-conditioned buses, they want to collect a starting fare of Bt15 with incremental increases of Bt2 based on distance.
They also demanded a fare of Bt20 for the new air-conditioned buses for the first 20km and Bt25 for distances longer than 20km.
The operators claimed that the costs have risen since the government forced them to change from diesel fuel to NGV fuel and that traffic congestion as well as the rental fee at bus depots had added an even greater burden.