Changing trains in Bangkok could soon cost a lot less, though probably not for you if you hold a foreign passport. On 3 November 2026 the Cabinet approved a Ministry of Transport plan to cap the fare for any single rail journey in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces at 45 baht, starting on 1 January 2027 and running until 31 December 2027.
Under the plan, the entry fare stays at the rates set in existing operator contracts, up to 17 baht, and riders no longer pay a fresh entry fee each time they switch lines. However many lines a trip uses, the total should not go above 45 baht. The decision was announced by Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksameesaengchan and has been reported by The Nation and Thairath English.
How the 45-baht cap is meant to work
This is not a cheaper price at the ticket gate. According to the government's outline published in October, passengers pay the normal fare as they do now, and the difference above the cap is refunded afterwards through Paotang, the state-run payment app run by Krungthai Bank. Khaosod English reported that refunds are expected within three days.
Krungthai Bank is working on linking bank cards that support contactless EMV payments, the tap-to-pay system used by Visa and Mastercard, to the scheme. Support for Rabbit cards, which many BTS riders use, was still under discussion when the outline was published.
Khaosod English lists eight lines in the scheme: the Red Line, the Airport Rail Link, and the Blue, Purple, Yellow, Pink, Green and Gold lines. The Cabinet put the cost for 2027 at about 5.8 billion baht, most of it to compensate operators for lost fares, and asked the rail agencies to review passenger numbers and revenue after six months.
What it means for expats in Bangkok
The official outline from October says the refund goes to Thai citizens who register and meet the conditions. Khaosod English, reporting the deputy transport minister's briefing in October, said the scheme would be available to Thai nationals who register through Paotang. The Cabinet release of 3 November does not repeat the eligibility rules, and no government source has said foreign residents will be included.
In practice, a foreign resident who commutes across two or three lines should plan on paying the same fares in 2027 as today, unless the rules change before launch. It is worth keeping an eye on the registration details when the Department of Rail Transport and Krungthai Bank publish them, since that is where any change would show up.
If you mostly ride the Red or Purple lines, the separate 40-baht day cap on those two lines, currently set to run until 30 November 2026, is covered in our earlier piece on the Red and Purple line day cap.