January 24, 2019 - Mr. Kamol Buranapong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport (DLT), revealed that the Central Land Transport Control Committee has decided to postpone the fare increase for all types of public buses from the original schedule to April 22, 2019. This means that all public bus operators must strictly adhere to this decision and charge fares according to the rates set by the government. It has been found that some operators are taking advantage of the situation by charging fares based on the new rates that will take effect on April 22, 2019.



The Department of Land Transport has therefore dispatched inspectors to investigate complaints and ensure that services comply with the conditions. If any operators are found to be unlawfully charging higher fares, they will be in violation of the Land Transport Act B.E. 2522, which prohibits charging fares that deviate from government regulations. Offenders may face fines of up to 5,000 baht, along with a record of the offense. Repeat offenders may have their operating licenses suspended or revoked, affecting both the drivers and fare collectors, as well as the operators for failing to supervise their services, which will impact the renewal of their transport licenses.



Current fares are as follows: BMTA buses at 6.50 baht, BMTA joint buses (large and mini buses) at 9 baht, air-conditioned buses at 12-20 baht, air-conditioned Euro buses at 13-25 baht, songthaews at 7 baht, and vans will continue to charge the same rates. For category 2 and 3 buses operating in provinces, including both government and joint buses, fares are divided into four segments: the first 40 km at 0.49 baht per km, 40-100 km at 0.44 baht per km, 100-200 km at 0.40 baht per km, and over 200 km at 0.36 baht per km.

For vans and small buses, the fare is 0.67 baht per km. If citizens encounter public transport charging excessive fares, they can report directly to the inspectors or file a complaint through the hotline 1584, available 24 hours a day.

 

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