Praise for ‘populist’ free bus, train policy
The Prayut Chan-o-cha government’s decision to continue with a long-running populist policy to offer free rides on buses and trains to the public is lauded by Thai Rath columnist Mae Luk Chan.
The scheme, which the government has wanted to end since it took power, will continue for another six months from May 1 to Oct 31.
He praised the government for doing the right thing and extending the help, which will alleviate the cost of living for low-income people at a time when the economy and people’s livelihoods are in the doldrums.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which has condemned populist policies, has tried many times to jettison the scheme, first initiated during the Samak Sundaravej administration.
The Prayut government even adopted a cabinet resolution to abolish the free rides on Aug 1 last year but in the end has continued extending it to this day, Mae Luk Chan said.
“I believe the important reason the government has not abolished the free bus and train scheme is because the government knows very well the economy will be unconscious for a long time,” the columnist said.
This is why the scheme is likely to survive. It will help lighten travel costs for poor, lowlevel employees, the elderly, and schoolchildren. Farmers and vendors also make use of the scheme.
He cited figures from the Transport Ministry and the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. They found some 700,000 people benefit from free rides on 73 bus routes of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority each day. That’s equivalent to 21 million people a month.
Another 90,000 people use free train rides (third class) each day, or 2.7 million people every month.
The government spends 12 million baht a day or 360 million baht a month subsidising the free bus and train service. That works out to 15 baht per person per day, or seven baht per trip per person.
This, he said, is not too much money for the government to spend on helping the poor. But it means a lot to those who have been suffering greatly from the stagnant economy, the drought, large household debts, and the rising cost of living which has shot up 20% in the past two years.
“The government’s decision to extend the scheme another six months will make more merit than performing kratin ceremonies at six temples,” Mae Luk Chan said.
He added that as long as the government is unable to deliver on its promise of reviving the economy, it should keep the free bus and train ride scheme in place.
Even though it is a populist policy, it has helped the poor for the last eight years, he said.