Bus operator protest likely over NGV price float

Yanyong Amporntrakul, head of a club of private bus operators, said many operators of private buses and inter-provincial buses and some truck operators planned to stage a move to oppose the price hike of natural gas for vehicles (NGV), or compressed natural gas.

The government decided to gradually increase the gas price by 50 satang a kilogramme a month for 12 months starting on Jan 16 next year, or 6 baht a kilogramme to 14.50 baht a kilogramme by the end of next year from 8.50 baht currently.

Representatives of the operators will meet on Monday to discuss a proposal which will be submitted to the government, said Mr Yanyong.

Unless the government agrees, they will immediately halt their bus services across the country, he warned.

The government must break down the actual production costs of NGV, as natural gas is an indigenous resource, Mr Yanyong added.

The NGV price should only be raised in areas far from gas pipelines to compensate for higher transport costs, he said. The price increase in Bangkok and surrounding provinces which were near gas pipelines was unreasonable, he added. Operators would pass on rising costs to consumers if the gas price went up, he warned.

Currently, the average cost of natural gas for each NGV-fuelled bus is 1,500 baht a day. If the gas price goes up by 6 baht a kilogramme, the cost will rise to 2,500 baht a day, he said.