Travelling via train, bus and boat might be one step easier and hassle-free as the Ministry of Transport has already assigned the Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office (TTPPO) to speed up the issuance and implementation of the “spider” tickets.

Jiroot Visarnjit of the Transport Ministry said that the Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office has been helping out with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), State Railways of Thailand (SRT), BTS and Metropolitan Mass Transit Authority (MMTA) on unifying payments through the said “spider” tickets. The TTPPO expects they could release these tickets in October starting with services of the Airport Link, Purple, Blue and Green (Sukhumvhit and Silom) lines.

Second part of the implementation will then include boat and train services which are now under construction, says Transport Ministry spokesperson.

Aside from ticketing, “spider” cards may also be used to buy other products in lieu of cash. This scheme will be expected to be fully implemented next year. It might also be used by the government to disburse social welfare payments under the National E-Payment system.

It is called the “spider” card (แมงมุม – maeng moom) as it describes the card’s ability to be used through a potential “web” of transport and payment services in the country.

Source: Thai PBS