Due to rising fuel costs, interprovincial bus operators have announced that they will limit or discontinue services along specific routes.
According to Pichet Jiamburaset, president of the Thai Bus Business Association, private operators can no longer afford the increased expenses caused by high diesel prices. Diesel is currently priced at 34 baht per liter, up from 27 baht in 2017.
Pichet stated that the move was necessary as a last resort in order to stay in business and prevent services from being completely shut down. He pointed out that if the services continued, they would be responsible for approximately 1,400 baht in gasoline costs per trip.
Meanwhile, Kla Party leader Korn Chatikavanij has proposed a three-point plan to help people affected by rising fuel prices, which includes raising the kingdom’s refining profit ceiling. He went on to say that the refining margin has roughly doubled to 8.5 baht per liter, up from 0.87 baht in June 2021 and 0.88 baht the previous year.
A higher margin, according to the former finance minister, is a financial burden on customers and the Oil Fuel Fund, which subsidizes oil prices and is currently 86 billion baht in debt.
Korn also proposed enacting a windfall tax law and launching an energy-saving campaign following a 15% increase in fuel use in the first four months of the year.