Passenger numbers soar, discount has transport ministry's backing
PUBLISHED : 25 Oct 2026 at 13:07
The Transport Ministry will propose the extension of the 40-baht day-tripper rate on the two Red Lines and the Purple line for another year, with the current promotion due to end on Nov 30.
Government deputy spokeswoman Ploythalay Laksameesaengjan said on Sunday the ministry had agreed to continue the cheap-ride programme until the end of next year, to ease the burden on commuters.
The extension still needed cabinet approval. It would be put on the agenda for the weekly cabinet meeting, Ms Ploythalay said, but did not say when it would be tabled.
The day-tripper promotion allows commuters to pay only 40 baht for all rides within one day on the Red and Light Red Lines operated by the State Railway of Thailand, and the Purple Line owned by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand.
However, passengers can use only Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards with the contactless symbol, or the Mangmoom card, to pay for it. The system later reimburses the difference between the fare and the promotion rate directly to their cards.
The promotion was launched in December last year with a 12-month validity. Since then, the number of riders on the three lines has jumped markedly. As of the end of August, since Dec 1 last the number of riders on the Light Red and Red Lines had leaped 89% to 9,460 a day, while 27,653 passengers used the Purple Line eah day on average, a whopping 135% surge.