Thailand - New Rabbit Card: BTS and MRT

Finally a single, stored-value/ride card will be available for the BTS (Skytrain) and MRT (Subway). General availability as of May 1, 2012.

http://www.bts.co.th/CollectFair_BTS.html

Oh that's what this rabbit talk is all about!

I thought they change the old BTS tickets to rabbit because of the new pricing for BTS extension. Didn't realize this will merge BTS and MRT.

This is good stuff! Now it also makes sense why they are phasing out the "per trip" concept BTS cards.

Thanks for the link, transpac!

Edit: Apparently (http://www.richardbarrow.com/2012/04/the-new-rabbit-card-to-combine-both-the-bts-skytrain-and-mrt-subway/) you will be able to use it at Starbucks, McDonalds and some other retailer, too. kind of like Octopus in Hong Kong !!

It's usable at a variety of stores as was pointed out directly above. One thing that is irksome is, if I read the advertisement correctly a few days ago, MRT won't be part of the system for the time being.

One would think that the advertisement push would be after the ability for use was consolidated.

More details can be found here

www.rabbitcard.com

Seems to be only valid on the BTS at the moment. For me as a visitor not sure it is any advantage over the existing smartcard.

The logo looks dumb but I like the name, being a rabbit myself. Of course, I assume the rabbit moniker refers to the King's sign of the zodiac.

(Rabbits were also seen on the king's flag last year, as it was the year of the rabbit and thus the completion of the king's seventh cycle.)

works at Mister Donut too! How can anyone resist?

I thought you were not supposed to eat on the BTS !

works at Mister Donut too! How can anyone resist?

Very easy ;)

Now good Tom yam kung, that is hard to resist :D

EmailKid

It's usable at a variety of stores as was pointed out directly above. One thing that is irksome is, if I read the advertisement correctly a few days ago, MRT won't be part of the system for the time being.
I was about to post "Finally!" since they've been announcing the imminent availability of a combined ticket ever since the MRT opened in 2004... but I guess they still haven't had enough time to work out the kinks. TIT :td:

Very easy ;)

Now good Tom yam kung, that is hard to resist :D

EmailKid

There are dozens of dishes I'd prefer to tom yam kung. Even a good one is only mildly satisfying compared with the bounty out there.

Now, if I could use the Rabbit card for my favorite laap stand this would be a different ball game. :D

Yes, it does seem like integration with the MRT (subway) and even BRT (bus) will come at a later date. For the MRT they do mention "before the end of the year".

The per trip feature remains with that variant of the Rabbit card, but only between On Nut and Wong Wian Yai/Mor Chit. Everyone will have to pay a flat 15 baht extra for any/all stops after On Nut to Bearing. So people with a per trip card pay with one trip + 15 baht if going/originating beyond On-Nut so the card is a combination of trips + stored value.

I am pretty certain anyone with an existing stored value card will be required to replace it with a Rabbit card as soon as you try to add value, or the value gets below say 20 baht. At least I had to on one card which was at 18 baht.

The deposit is 50 baht, the issuance fee another 50 baht (150 baht as of 1/1/13). The deposit on your existing stored value card is 30 baht.

Not sure about the references to the King, being born in a year of the Rabbit? Some people seem to think this makes sense as it is a form of Royally-endorsed e-Money, but others think that is a reference to speed, and a play on the word "rapid", and that the design, if referencing the King in anyway, is a bit disrespectful. (The word Rabbit on the card is highlighted in Yellow so I suspect it is a reference to the King?) YMMV. (For those born in a year of the Rabbit you should make the pilgrimage to your Zodiac temple here in Thailand, in this case Wat Phra That Chae Haeng, in Nan. I went last October and it is situated on a hill, and is very beautiful. There is a dragon boat race festival in Nan as well in end Sep or early Oct.)

You can accumulate points for rewards http://www.carrotrewards.co.th/ , and use the card as payment in several retail food outlets. I think you can have up to 4,000 baht on it.

Yes, it does seem like integration with the MRT (subway) and even BRT (bus) will come at a later date. For the MRT they do mention "before the end of the year".



They don't say "this year" though. :-) So who knows which year it will be.

(For those born in a year of the Rabbit you should make the pilgrimage to your Zodiac temple here in Thailand, in this case Wat Phra That Chae Haeng, in Nan. I went last October and it is situated on a hill, and is very beautiful. There is a dragon boat race festival in Nan as well in end Sep or early Oct.)

Thanks for the tip. Will have to check it out on my next visit.

Thanks for the tip. Will have to check it out on my next visit.

Nan in general, the province, is beautiful. Muang Nan is a cool place well off the tourist trail with a great street food scene on certain weekends.

There are a handful of temples worth visiting including Wat Phra That Chae Haeng. I'd need to check my photos to give you some more temples that are interesting.

Having a bit of Thai language ability will go a long way up there.

Rabbit Card's still not available to MRT yet.... the staff says: 2 months. But I thing by June it should be up and Running

They don't say "this year" though. :-) So who knows which year it will be.
You are a wise person. For 5 years straight there were announcements that ticket integration would occur "next year", the reality has been that both BTSC and BMCL have not wanted it incorrectly believing that it will reduce their respective income.

Even last year BMCL and the SRT were stating that they would have an intergrated ticket by 2012.

If the MRT ticketing platform is Rabbit ready by Dec 2012 I'll be both surprised and very happy. Anything before that is a bonus.

I am pretty certain anyone with an existing stored value card will be required to replace it with a Rabbit card as soon as you try to add value, or the value gets below say 20 baht. At least I had to on one card which was at 18 baht,
Note sure about that suggestion as I have topped up my store value card twice since 1 May and not been asked to get a Rabbit (so to speak). I may have read that only those with expired stored value cards will obviously have to get a Rabbit which of course makes sense. My 5 yr expiry date on my current card is up in Nov so that seems to me to be the appropriate time unless the MRT platform becomes Rabbit friendly before then in which case I'll switch over earlier.

Note sure about that suggestion as I have topped up my store value card twice since 1 May and not been asked to get a Rabbit (so to speak). I may have read that only those with expired stored value cards will obviously have to get a Rabbit which of course makes sense. My 5 yr expiry date on my current card is up in Nov so that seems to me to be the appropriate time unless the MRT platform becomes Rabbit friendly before then in which case I'll switch over earlier.

Could be, I had to replace two (2) BTS stored value cards in the past few weeks, but I guess those could have reached the five year expiration date as I have had them for a while. Actually I think they were closer to seven years old?

Anyway, I didn't mind moving over to the Rabbit card. (I keep a few spares for visitors - I hate waiting for them to queue for change, and purchase a ticket - so now have four Rabbit cards, two BTS cards and three MRT cards!)

Given that the issuing fee will go up to 150 baht as of 1/1/13 some may find it better to replace their stored value BTS card before then?

I hope the MRT gets integrated sooner rather than later. I liken this to MNP (Mobile Number Portability) which many thought would never get implemented, but it did, so I am hopeful.

Does anyone know when they will integrate the mrt into the Rabbit card?

Does anyone know when they will integrate the mrt into the Rabbit card?

The last I heard, which was upon introduction, they were expecting a 'few months' delay. There seems to be a decent amount of advertising on BTS but I didn't see any indication of when MRT integration would come online.

i wish we could check the balance of the cards online and even better top them up online too.

i wish we could check the balance of the cards online and even better top them up online too.
Just curious, is this possible in other cities around the world? Online top-up would be very handy.

http://www.rabbitcard.com/en/content/rabbit-mrt-year-end-2012-0

http://www.rabbitcard.com/en/page/balance-check

Not sure if Carrot Rewards offers balance checking/topping up?

For older BTS cards I think there may have been a method of adding value at ATMs.

We can add value, make payments here via ATM, and even on-line banking, but I have not seen the Rabbit card as an option. I haven't logged in to my Bangkok Bank or SCB on-line accounts in a few weeks, and I really only use the ATM to add value to my pre-paid mobile.


I have noticed several foreigners, ~ 12 or so over the last 30 days, getting blocked at the entrance or exit gates using older style BTS cards, not sure what's up with that? Maybe they just returned to Bangkok and found that their cards had expired. One set of people I observed had to get new Rabbit cards.

http://www.rabbitcard.com/en/content/rabbit-mrt-year-end-2012-0

http://www.rabbitcard.com/en/page/balance-check

Not sure if Carrot Rewards offers balance checking/topping up?

For older BTS cards I think there may have been a method of adding value at ATMs.

We can add value, make payments here via ATM, and even on-line banking, but I have not seen the Rabbit card as an option. I haven't logged in to my Bangkok Bank or SCB on-line accounts in a few weeks, and I really only use the ATM to add value to my pre-paid mobile.


I have noticed several foreigners, ~ 12 or so over the last 30 days, getting blocked at the entrance or exit gates using older style BTS cards, not sure what's up with that? Maybe they just returned to Bangkok and found that their cards had expired. One set of people I observed had to get new Rabbit cards.

Have you used the rabbit rewards? Does it actually work?

works at Mister Donut too! How can anyone resist?

Oh, they're gaining ground in Bangkok now? I thought I passed by one somewhere in Nana, but hey, my favorite ones are still those in El Salvador. I'll take nuegado over the matcha flavour any day.

Signing off from this way-OT reply,
TBS

Oh, they're gaining ground in Bangkok now? I thought I passed by one somewhere in Nana, but hey, my favorite ones are still those in El Salvador. I'll take nuegado over the matcha flavour any day.

Signing off from this way-OT reply,
TBS

I like those sushi donut things they do, pretty cool concept. They look great, probably disgusting tasting in reality :).

I like those sushi donut things they do, pretty cool concept. They look great, probably disgusting tasting in reality :).

Actually they are pretty good - addicting even. ;)

I really like the concept of the Rabbit card - but I'll wait until the MRT is included to change over.

Actually they are pretty good - addicting even. ;)

I really like the concept of the Rabbit card - but I'll wait until the MRT is included to change over.

They should have had a unified system from the get go. Government should have maintained more control over it.

:). Its good that they are starting to get their act together.

At least in the MRT when you wait on the customer service queue they'll sell you a token, as opposed to the damned BTS where you have to wait first if you don't have change, then wait to get the single ticket journey (I'm typically only in town for a couple of days at a time), then again as people figure out which side of the BTS ticket has the arrow. Finding out where the best car is to board the train as its advertisement-covered doors trickle out muddled passengers is ever the hoot. Well, at least it's not as bad as joining the mosh pit of a Transjakarta bus.

Also, considering that the MRT uses a token and the BTS a ticket, transferring (or am I missing an integral fact?) becomes as pointless as trying to jog at night on the north side of Sukhumvit between Soi 3 and Soi 15. Well, that's where the extra car lane comes in handy...

Also, considering that the MRT uses a token and the BTS a ticket, transferring (or am I missing an integral fact?)


Perhaps? FWIW the MRT does use an RFID ticket for stored-value, that may the integral fact you are missing?

Both systems use RFID technology; there is an RFID chip in the single-journey black MRT token. Using a single RFID card doesn't seem to be a challenge as far as I can determine. I think it is more of a back-room integration issue?


Now finding the right car/door to board can be challenging even for people like me who ride 4 ~ 6 times every day. Nowadays, on the BTS, the middle of the platform is better as this makes it easier to get on the first train at peak times. The first or last cars make for better exits and connections upstairs/downstairs at Siam. Then they throw in a new 4-car CNR set from the Silom line on the Sukhumvit line (weekends only now) to keep us on our toes, or switch an in-bound Silom line set over to the Sukhumvit line before Siam to get that train up to the yard at Mo Chit.

Government should have maintained more control over it.:D:D:D You ARE kidding, right?
Its good that they are starting to get their act together.That's even funnier!