Spider cards face delay

The plan was to store fares on plastic cards, then swipe them on entering water taxis, trains and (above) Bangkok city buses. But authorities have cancelled plans for the mangmoom (spider) system for now. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

It could take as long as a year to install the common ticketing system on four electric train rail routes in Bangkok, meaning the scheduled launch in March could be delayed by several months, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) said Wednesday.

Acting MRTA governor Rithika Suparat said it is clear the common ticketing system for Bangkok public transport, which will be operated using so-called Mangmoom (Spider) cards, would not be launched on time.

According to the original plan, the system would begin operating for the Purple Line first before being expanded to other routes.

The routes have yet to sign a cooperative agreement, officials said.

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Mr Rithika said the MRTA board authorised the authority on Wednesday to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate with BTS Group Holdings Plc, which operates the BTS skytrain, Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM), which runs the Blue Line, and the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) on the initial development of the new system.

The fully fledged scheme will cover four electric train systems. They are the Purple Line from Bang Yai to Tao Poon, the Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi airport to Phaya Thai, the Green Line from Mor Chit to Bearing, and the Blue Line between Hua Lamphong and Bang Sue.

The date for the MoU signing has not yet been settled, he said.

Mr Rithika said after that is wrapped up, probably before year-end, it is expected to take between 10 and 12 months to install and complete the new system at a cost of several hundred million baht. To manage the common ticket system, the MRTA, the BTS and the BEM will jointly set up a subsidiary to supervise the system and the agency by 2019.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) said 200 public buses will have the e-ticket system installed by the end of this month. The work is being carried out by Cho Thavee Plc, said Prayoon Choygeo, a deputy director for bus operations at the BMTA. All 2,600 BMTA buses will have the system completely installed by June next year, Mr Prayoon added.