The authority’s governor, Peerayuth Singpattanakul, told reporters late last week that daily passenger numbers were only 20,000. He noted that the original forecasts for usage had estimated a figure of up to 70,000 a day.
Mr Singpattanakul explained that one of the main factors seemed to be the fact the Purple Line was not yet connected to the main Bangkok urban transport system. The line runs in from Bang Yai in Nonthaburi Province to Tao Poon Station.
A link from Tao Poon to Bang Sue MRT Subway Station is still being built. Mr Singpattanakul said that despite the fact the MRTA was providing free buses between these two stations, commuters were not taking advantage of the Purple Line as they seemed to consider the combined journey too time consuming.
The MRTA governor continued by adding that he planned to ask the relevant contractors to expedite completion of the missing link. He finished off by saying a temporary fix would be cutting Purple Line fares to attract more passengers.
Bangkok transport operator mulls fares cut for Purple Line
News in Asia
The operator of Bangkok’s new transport link, the Purple Line, is considering fare cuts to entice passengers to use the service. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) officially inaugurated the service on 6 August 2016, but has found passenger numbers are only a third of what was forecast.