Bus fares drop as fuel price dips
Bus fares drop as fuel price dips
Users of public transport can look forward to lower bus fares now that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport has announced a decrease in ticket prices on routes from Vientiane to the provinces.
The Transport Department says the drop in fares is the result of a steady decline in the price of fuel over the past five years.
In 2011, the price of petrol was 8,500 kip per litre. At present, the price of fuel is about 6,300 kip per litre, with the price of diesel and petrol ranging from 6,000 to 7,000 kip.
Passengers travelling from Vientiane to the northern provinces are currently charged at a rate of 238 kip per kilometre, while those going to the central and southern provinces are charged at a rate of 164 kip per kilometre.
Bus fares have been adjusted to reflect the drop in the fuel price and to ensure the new charges match the costs incurred by transport service providers while being fair for passengers.
From December 10, bus fares on routes from Vientiane to the northern provinces will be charged at 185 kip per kilometre. The price of fuel is calculated to be 6,000 kip to 7,000 kip per litre based on that used by ordinary buses.
However, the price of a ticket on a Category 2 VIP bus will be increased to 20 percent higher than the fare on an ordinary bus, while the fare on a Category 1 VIP bus will now be 30 percent higher than the price of travel on an ordinary bus.
The lowest long-distance bus fare on a northern route, from Vientiane to Vangvieng, will be 28,000 kip, while the highest fare, on VIP 1 bus from Vientiane to Bokeo province, will be 215,000 kip.
Meanwhile the fares on buses from Vientiane to the central and southern provinces will be charged at 139 kip per kilometre, with the fuel price estimated at 6,000 kip to 7,000 kip per litre.
In addition, the fare on a VIP 2 bus will rise to 20 percent of the fare on an ordinary bus while a ticket on a VIP 1 bus will cost 30 percent of the ordinary fare.
A ticket on an ordinary bus fro m Vientiane to Borikhamxay province will be 20,000 kip per person, while the most expensive ticket, that bought for a VIP 1 bus from Vientiane to Attapeu province, will cost 210,000 kip.
Inter-provincial fares will be calculated by the provincial public works and transport departments, with the routes from province to province to be agreed by the two parties involved.
