All aboard for an efficient city

Time for a fresh look at integrating modes of public transport in the capital for seamless commuting

Published on May 3, 2008

The Transport Ministry has given the green light for operators of city bus services to raise fares again, because of high oil prices. The fare for non-air-conditioned buses will rise by Bt1 and that of air-conditioned buses by Bt2 per trip.

This is supposed to be a temporary measure to ease the pressure of operating costs.

The Bangkok Mass Transport Authority is also planning to replace some of its dilapidated buses. This is a good opportunity for an improvement of overall services. Given the dirty air and rising temperatures, all new city buses should be air-conditioned, to make life easier for long-suffering passengers. City buses would be more attractive as an option for residents.

The whole idea of public transport is to ensure people get to where they want to go, and arrive in a presentable condition - not soaked in sweat and smelling.

Cool on all levels

The initial cost of installing air-conditioning will be negligible when spread out over the useful life of the bus.

Old buses running on diesel should be converted to cheaper fuel options, natural gas and biodiesel among other things. At the same time, all new city buses must be air-conditioned.

The role of city buses is changing. It will have to merge seamlessly into the city's multimode transport systems, including elevated or underground rail. Today's commuters will mix transport modes to match their requirements. People will travel by passenger car or city bus part of the way, then by rail and then walk or take taxis to their final destinations.

The number of people who use buses as their primary or sole mode of transport is set to decline, but city buses will continue to be a popular choice among lower-income groups. The city bus will eventually play a secondary role as a feeder to quickly move people to the nearest rail-based mass-transit systems.

For the convenience of commuters, all operators of public transport in Bangkok and vicinity served by rail-based systems must find ways to introduce some sort of joint-ticketing and revenue-sharing arrangements. Commuters should be able to buy one ticket that will allow them to mix transport smoothly, without having to buy a new ticket every time they switch from, say, city bus to Skytrain or underground.

Negotiation among public-transport operators in the past usually ended in deadlock. The government must overcome this if improvement in public transport is to be made.