Union wants free bus ride to continue

About 150 representatives of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority labour union submitted a letter to the prime minister on Tuesday, calling for the government to continue with the free bus ride programme to cushion the city people's economic hardship.

The free bus ride programme, which involves 800 hot buses, is one of the six measures introduced by the previous government and retained by the Abhisit government to help the people during the economic downturn. The current six-month term of the six measures, which include free water and electricity for low volume consumers, ends next month.

Veerapong Wongwaen, acting chairman of the BMTA labour union, said the union also wants the government to reduce bus fares on all routes in Bangkok by half and compensate the bus authority for the loss of income.

The union will next week submit a letter to the National Economic and Social Development Board, which is studying the Transport Ministry's project to lease 4,000 NGV-powered buses for the BMTA, suggesting the buses be bought outright or through hire purchase so the bus agency will have more vehicles of its own.

Representatives of the State Enterprises Relations Confederation on Tuesday also submitted a letter to the prime minister, calling for the revival of the Express Transport Organisation.