Abstract:
Operations of passenger van services in Bangkok Metropolitan Region are regulated by the Department of Land Transport, which controls fare schedules, based on van operating costs. However, the cost data that are used to determine the fare was last updated in 2005, and therefore the fare regulation based on them is outdated. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the operating costs of passenger vans in three categories of van routes, including CBD-to-suburban, suburban-to-suburban, and expressway routes. The analysis of costs data collected by field survey of van operators shows that the operating cost of passenger vans have increased significantly since 2005. The cost structures also differ among route categories. Moreover, the results show that the route association membership payment represents approximately 10 percent of the total operating costs. These informal payments were common prior to the legalization of passenger van services, and one of the objectives of allowing the vans to operate jointly with Bangkok Mass Transit Authority is to eliminate these costs. The finding of this research shows that the current regulatory system of passenger vans imposed unnecessary costs on van operations, and reforms of the van regulation are needed to address the problem