Bangkok train trips capped at 45 baht for all of 2027

Every working morning, someone who lives on the MRT Blue Line and changes to the BTS Green Line to reach the office taps through two sets of gates and pays two entry fares. The entry fare is the first charge, counted as soon as you pass the gate, however far you ride. Both lines start at about 17 baht, so riding just a few stations on each already costs about 34 baht, and riding far on both can take the total to about 90 baht a trip.

That will change next year. Thailand's Cabinet approved on 3 November 2026 an entry fare of no more than 17 baht and a total fare of no more than 45 baht per trip on every rail line in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, however many lines a passenger uses, with no second entry fare when changing lines. The measure runs for all of 2027, from 1 January to 31 December, deputy government spokesperson Ploythalay Laksameesaengchan said after the meeting.

For daily riders, this is money in their pocket. Bangkok has many rail lines, but several are run by different agencies or companies under separate contracts, and each one charges its own fare. A passenger who changes lines pays as if boarding a new train, even though it is one journey. The measure treats the whole trip as one, from the first gate tapped in to the last gate tapped out.

The longer the ride and the more lines, the bigger the saving

Take today's fares, which Thai PBS compiled in late June 2026. The BTS Green Line's city section starts at about 17 baht and tops out at about 47 baht, but riding on into the extensions can cost about 60 baht or a little more. The MRT Blue Line charges 17 to 44 baht, the Pink and Yellow lines about 15 to 45 baht, and the Purple Line about 14 to 42 baht. Line by line, none looks expensive. The trouble starts when you connect, because the two fares are added together.

Picture someone who lives at the far end of a Green Line extension and rides all the way into the city for work. Today that trip can cost about 60 baht or a little more, without changing lines at all. In 2027 the same trip will cost no more than 45 baht. That is about 15 baht saved per trip, about 30 baht a day for the return journey, and about 600 baht a month for someone who works 20 days. For the Blue Line and Green Line commuter in the first paragraph, riding far on both, about 90 baht falls to no more than 45 baht, or roughly half.

Not every trip gets cheaper, though. Anyone who rides a short distance on one line and already pays less than 45 baht will still pay by distance, as now, because 45 baht is a cap, not a flat fare. The savings show most for people who ride far, change lines or live at the end of a line where fares are already high, such as commuters coming in from the suburbs every day.

Gates still charge the full fare, and the state refunds the difference to Paotang

What many riders may not expect is that the gates will still take the full fare, because the operators keep charging under their existing contracts. The change comes after the trip. A central system run by Krungthai Bank works out how far the trip went over 45 baht and refunds the difference to the Paotang app within 3 days, according to Thai PBS Policy Watch's summary of the conditions. Put simply, you pay in full today and the extra comes back a few days later.

The refunds come from the government's central budget. The Cabinet noted an estimate of 5.807 billion baht for 2027: 5.785 billion baht in fare compensation and 22 million baht in fees for each refund transfer to passengers. Spread over the year, that is almost 16 million baht a day. It is an estimate, and the real cost depends on how much people ride. After six months, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will use actual ridership and revenue to negotiate revenue sharing with the operators, then report back to the Cabinet.

The cap is for Thai citizens who link a tap-to-pay card to Paotang

The 45 baht fare is only for Thai passengers, and they must use a tap-to-pay card, known as an EMV contactless card, which is a debit or credit card you can tap on a reader instead of inserting it. That card must first be linked to the Paotang app. Registration uses your national ID number together with the card you will tap. The plan the Cabinet noted aims to open registration in Paotang in December 2026, but no exact date has been announced.

There are three more conditions on the journey itself. First, you must tap in and tap out properly, and the card must not be declined. Second, one trip, including changes, must take no more than 180 minutes, or it counts as several trips. Third, changes must happen at the 17 designated transfer points and be completed within 30 minutes. If any of these is missed, that trip is charged the normal fare.

As for the Rabbit card that many BTS riders use every day, in early October the Ministry of Transport planned to negotiate its temporary use for about a year on the Green, Gold, Yellow and Pink lines, but riders connecting to the Blue or Purple lines would still need a tap-to-pay card. The conditions released after this Cabinet decision mention only tap-to-pay cards, so riders who use only a Rabbit card should have a tap-to-pay card ready as well.

What to do now

If you ride trains regularly, check now whether you have a debit or credit card that can tap to pay, update the Paotang app, and watch for the registration date in December 2026. Once your card is linked, from 1 January 2027 use that one card for the whole trip, tap in and out on every line, and check Paotang for the refunded difference. The measure is set only for 2027, and there is no answer yet on what comes after.

Sources

• The Nation: Thai Cabinet approves THB17-45 rail fare scheme for Greater Bangkok
• Thai PBS Policy Watch: 1 ม.ค. 70 เริ่มใช้ ตั๋วร่วมรถไฟฟ้า ในกทม.-ปริมณฑล ราคา 17-45 บาท
• The Nation: Transport Ministry plans December sign-up for 17-45 baht rail fares
• Thai PBS: ครม.เคาะ ค่าโดยสารร่วมรถไฟฟ้า ไม่เกิน 45 บาท ยกเลิก 20 บาทตลอดสาย เริ่มปี 70
• Bangkok Biz News: ครม. อนุมัติค่าโดยสาร รถไฟฟ้า 17-45 บาท เริ่ม 1 ม.ค.2570