Pushing the Integrated Ticketing Act into the Cabinet - all skytrain lines will charge fares between 17-45 baht, aiming to start on 1 January 2027 as a New Year's gift. Plans are to bring the entire skytrain system under state ownership through the Thailand Future Fund (TFFIF) after finding buyback costs exceed 100 billion baht.
23 June 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, spoke about measures to reduce the cost of living for the public through unified fare rates in the mass transit skytrain system, or the “integrated skytrain ticketing” system. He said this policy has already been implemented on the Purple and Red Lines, with a flat fare of 40 baht all day. Now, the plan is to expand coverage to all skytrain lines by bringing them under the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA). The current problem is the government lacks sufficient funds to purchase operations from private operators where the system is not state-owned. Several concession contracts are set to expire in 2029. If the government buys all, the cost could reach over 100 billion baht. Therefore, the approach will be to use the “integrated ticketing” system with fares of 17-45 baht and a one-time entry fee per journey regardless of the number of lines used. This plan will be submitted to today's Cabinet meeting.
Following this, discussions with the Ministry of Finance will be necessary to determine funding sources for the government to bring all skytrain lines under the MRTA. Initially, the idea is to raise funds through the Thailand Future Fund (TFFIF), a government-established infrastructure fund. This process may take one and a half to two years. Using this method would make state ownership of all skytrain lines a reality. Then, fare details will be set separately by week, with special rates for students and seniors.
Mr. Pipat added that efforts will be made to implement the integrated ticketing system by the end of this year to serve as a New Year's gift, with usage starting on 1 January 2027, including the Green Line. It will be necessary to assess the private operators' income and for the government to allocate budget to compensate for revenue differences. Another key issue is selecting a financial institution to collect fares in advance and reimburse the private operators, which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport to decide.