Originally Posted by
RustyC
Riiight...because the tollways have worked so well. Not making enough money to pay the bills? Just RAISE THE RATES! Pretty soon you're running a boutique service for those who can afford it while the traffic problem you were supposed to alleviate just continues.
ARL is basically a commuter rail, and guidebooks are warning pax with much in the way of baggage away from it. Was surprised a year or so ago to learn it was SRT, as that kind of thing is better handled by a local or regional body.
Singapore is still the unsurpassed standard for the region. KL has lines but still not so much integration and too many areas not served due to sprawl. Manila is woefully underserved and crowded but at least has something. The Skytrain and subway in Bangkok are still expanding (and the Skytrain is really straining in places)...eventually it's likely to be integrated and government-run, possibly with either lowered fares or some subsidized-pass scheme to try to lure people off buses. Am sure a LOT of locals are still taking buses to save the 20 or 30 baht vs. the Skytrain or subway. Could get to where they need everything to run platform-length, like in Singapore.
Can't find much to disagree with, particularly the comments about Singapore. But I still feel that pulling control away from a government entity can't help but make things better. It's not like governments run things efficiently in most places.
The bus system in BKK is ridiculous, but cheap. Not sure how to make it better. You could start by trashing about 90% of the red buses.
And if they start subsidizing BTS and MRT that would certainly help locals use those services, but at certain times of the day (commute hours) they are already packed to capacity. I know people who will get on BTS at Ari or Saphan Kwai deliberately heading the wrong direction (to Mor Chit) so they can get a train at the beginning of the route and actually find a seat.