Officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) failed to convince bosses of the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) yesterday to defer raising Skytrain prices from next month.

The city's executive committee on the Skytrain project - headed by Deputy Bangkok Governor Bannasopit Mekvichai and related officials - held a two hour meeting yesterday, but BTS chiefs were unmoved.

Anat Abhabhirom, an adviser to the BTS board, said later he had explained four reasons for the Skytrain price rise to the committee.

They included the rise in operating costs such as electricity and tap water and that the hike was part of the company's business rehabilitation plan. Anat said the BTS now faced financial problems and the new fares were still within the previously set fare ceiling.

The BTS would explain its need to hike fares to passengers at all Skytrain stations today, Anat said.

Bannasopit later reported the meeting's results to Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin, who then told reporters the issue had yet to be concluded.

The BMA had asked the BTS to postpone and review the fare hike, but the BTS insisted their reasons were valid to raise ticket prices from December 1 onwards.

"Legally, the hike can be done, but we will have another round of talks on the matter after the BTS submits to the BMA a written request for fare hike," Apirak said.

He said he had instructed city executives to study the contract details as to whether the BMA could suspend the Skytrain fare hike or not.

However, BMA Legal and Litigation Office director Krisada Klanthanon said the BMA had no chance to nego-tiate a hike postponement or cancellation because the hike was within the ceiling of Bt15 to Bt45.

The new fares will start from Bt15 with an additional Bt5 charged for every two stations. People who travel more than 10 stations would be subject to the maximum charge of Bt40. Currently, fares range from Bt10 to Bt40.

As an estimated 400,000 BTS customers use the service everyday but the BMA fears the fare hike could cut the numbers using the Skytrain.