The government plans to start collecting congestion fees during peak hours to ease Bangkok’s notorious traffic snarls. The congestion fees will also help fund a move to cap metro fares at 20 baht per ride by buying back concessions from current private operators.


The scheme, unveiled by Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, has sparked widespread debate over its feasibiliy and sustainability.


Congestion fee zones


Suriya said the charges will be collected from motorists entering areas in Bangkok that are usually congested at peak hours, including Silom, Ratchadapisek and Sukhumvit.


The Thai capital is infamous for its jams, with commuters often spending several hours per week stuck in traffic. An estimated 700,000-plus motorists brave Bangkok’s congested roads daily.


If the charge is set at between 40 and 50 baht, the government stands to collect 12 billion baht per year.


“These charges will be raised after five years,” said Suriya, adding that this amount should be enough to reduce metro fares, diverting more commuters off the roads and onto trains.


Response from city authorities


Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he had no objection to the congestion charge because it would encourage Bangkokians to cut their use of private cars.


He said, however, that relevant authorities should offer better alternatives to commuters who will have to switch to public transport due to the additional charges.


“We need to prepare facilities and links that will allow people to commute conveniently between home and workplace."


Chadchart cited the need for an efficient public bus service and good walkways, or else commuters would still opt for the extra convenience of private vehicles.


He said that the congestion charge could initially be limited to a few zones before being expanded when convenient travel alternatives are in place.


Congestion charges elsewhere


While Thailand has never imposed a congestion fee, other major world cities have been doing so for several decades already.


In 1975, Singapore introduced electronic road pricing (ERP) as a means to reduce the number of vehicles on congested roads.
A fee of between 50 cents and S$6 (around 12 to 150 baht) is collected from each vehicle entering these roads.


In 2003, London began collecting 15 pounds (660 baht) per day from vehicles entering inner city areas. In the Swedish capital of Stockholm, a congestion charge was launched in 2006, though it only applies during rush hours.


In 2012, Milan in Italy began collecting 5 euros (about 190 baht) per day from any vehicle entering its city centre, or Area C.


In the Norwegian cities of Oslo and Bergen, the equivalent of 55 baht is collected from vehicles entering congested areas, while in the US, New York has been charging vehicles entering the central business district a fee of $9 to $23 (330-840 baht) since 2021.


Metro fares too high


The ruling Pheu Thai Party has stuck by its election pledge to cap Bangkok city train fares at 20 baht since it came to power last year. Suriya, who doubles as deputy PM, is the man tasked with realising this promise.


His Transport Ministry has already set the maximum fare at 20 baht for the Purple Line’s Tao Poon-Khlong Bang Phai route, the Red Line’s Bang Sue-Rangsit route, and its Bang Sue-Taling Chan route.


This move has won praise from the public. However, fares are far higher on other routes. On the BTS Green Line, the maximum fare of 62 baht means commuters using city trains pay about 11% of the minimum daily wage.


Commuting both ways can cost 22% of the daily minimum wage, making the BTS too expensive for millions of Bangkok residents.


Commuters in other Asian cities are far better off. In Singapore, a metro ride costs about 3.5% of the minimum daily wage, while this figure in Japan falls to 2.9% and 1.5% in South Korea.


Bangkok has eight city lines covering a distance of 274 kilometres.


Road blocks ahead


Asst Prof Dr Taweeksak Taekrattok, an engineering lecturer at Naresuan University and a road-safety expert, said implementing the congestion fee in Bangkok will be difficult as the city is crisscrossed by small interconnecting lanes.


“Motorists could avoid paying congestion charges by taking shortcuts through small lanes instead. If that happens, traffic jams will just shift from the main road to smaller roads,” he warned.


Echoing Chadchart’s point, Taweesak said that without proper preparations in place, many commuters would still find private vehicles much cheaper and more convenient.


“Take the BTS Khu Khot station, for example: to get there, commuters need to drive or pay for a private ride,” he said.


Taweesak cautioned that congestion charges may become a burden on commuters while failing to spur their switch to public transport.


Sumet Ongkittikul, research director of Transportation and Logistics Policy at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), adds that it will be tough for the government to persuade the current concessionaires to give up their revenue-sharing benefits from the operation of metro lines.


“The concessionaires will want to be compensated for their investment to build metro infrastructure while also demanding a share of the revenue if their routes start making money,” he said.


Samart Ratchapolsitte, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party and an expert in public transport engineering, noted that the government has been trying in vain to buy back the Green Line concession since 2004, despite it being the only line at the time.


“It’s possible, but the government will require a massive sum of money to do this,” he said of the concession purchase.


Sumet said the government should consider the viability of its policy, cautioning that all sustainable solutions require careful planning and systemic revamping.


“We have had free public bus and train services before, but they were scrapped as soon as the budget was exhausted,” he said.


The current 20-baht cap on some train routes is set to end on November 30 if the Transport Ministry does not find funds to extend it.

Bangkok’s congestion fee – traffic relief or a new burden?