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Published on October 13, 2007

A consumers network yesterday petitioned the Central Administrative Court to halt a fare hike approved by the Transport Ministry for private operators of city bus services that will be imposed on Monday.

The court accepted the motion and will read out its decision at 1.30pm today on whether to issue an injunction. Commuters will have to pay the new fares in the morning of Monday and the old fares in the afternoon if the injunction is issued.

The ministry's decision on Tuesday allows fares to be raised for city buses operated under Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) concessions, as well as for inter-provincial lines operated by state-owned Transport Co and private operators on its concessions.

However, the BMTA has agreed to freeze the fares of its public buses for three months from this coming Monday at the present range of Bt7-Bt22.

After a BMTA committee meeting on the issue, chairman General Athikhom Tanlert said the fares would not be adjusted for three months so as not to burden people already suffering from the higher cost of living.

He plans to ask private operators to peg their fares as well, but it would be left up to them.

Since the decision would cost the BMTA about Bt35 million per month, the BMTA would ask for compensation from the Transport Ministry, he said.

The BMTA already owes some Bt3 billion to fuel supplier PTT, he added.

The board of Transport Co, which operates inter-provincial bus services, made a similar decision on Wednesday to hold fare hikes.

The Nation