The Ministry of Transport has announced a new policy aimed at addressing the chronic issue of taxi drivers refusing passengers during peak hours. Starting in December 2025, an additional service charge of 10 to 20 baht will be applied to taxi rides during rush hours and late-night periods. This initiative, confirmed by Deputy Transport Minister Mallika Chiraphanvanich, is designed to incentivize drivers to accept passengers when traffic congestion is at its worst. The standard base fare of 35 baht will remain unchanged, Komchadluek News reported.

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Deputy Minister Mallika emphasized that the measure constitutes a service fee adjustment rather than a general fare increase. She explained that taxi meter rates have not been revised for over two decades, and while previous administrations prioritized protecting passengers from higher costs, the current economic reality necessitates providing some relief to drivers facing rising operational expenses. The Department of Land Transport (DLT), which recommended the policy, has historically studied broader fare restructuring but held off on implementation to avoid adding to the public’s financial burden during a period of high living costs.

Bangkok will add a 10-20 baht peak-time taxi surcharge while keeping the 35 baht base fare — will the small fee ease the evening scramble?

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Concurrent with the rush hour fee, the department is advancing plans to modernize the entire fare system through the introduction of digital meters. This technology will enable more precise fare calculations based on real-time data, including fluctuating fuel and gas prices. Mallika stated that this digital transformation is intended to ensure greater fairness and transparency for both passengers and drivers by more accurately reflecting actual operating costs.

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Sarapong Phaitoonphong, Director-General of the DLT, expressed confidence that the new surcharge will effectively reduce the incidence of passenger refusals. He confirmed that all technical and regulatory details are being finalized for a December implementation. The broader comprehensive restructuring of taxi fares remains under active consideration but will only be rolled out once the new digital meter system is fully operational.

-Thailand News (TN)