Today (October 29, 2025) marks the first day of exercising rights under the “Khon La Khrueng Plus” (Half-Half Plus) scheme, which saw bustling activity nationwide. People gradually used their rights via the “Pao Tang” application to pay for goods and services, especially for public transportation fares. This includes extensive participation from electric trains, buses, boats, and interprovincial coaches.
Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport (MoT), stated that MoT has fully implemented the government’s policy to help reduce living costs and boost people’s purchasing power through the “Khon La Khrueng Plus” scheme. This is regarded as a critical measure to drive the grassroots economy in parallel with transport system development.
The Ministry of Transport allows rights use via the “Pao Tang” app, covering all travel modes, including:
- Urban Electric Train: Blue Line, Purple Line, Pink Line, Yellow Line, Green Line (including extensions), Red Line, Airport Rail Link, and Gold Line
- Water Transportation: Chao Phraya Express Boat and electric boats within Bangkok
- Bus Transportation: BMTA buses, Bor.Kor.Sor. buses, and privately operated buses approved by the Department of Land Transport
- Participating Private Coach Companies (as of October 27, 2025): Nakhonchai Air Co., Ltd., Piya Rungrueng Tour Co., Ltd., Sri Suthep Tour Co., Ltd., Rayong Tour Co., Ltd., Nex Express Co., Ltd., and Sawaeng Transport Services 2499 Co., Ltd., with other operators pending approval
Conditions for exercising rights on “Electric Train” fares:
- Applicable only for single journey tickets
- Payment made via “Pao Tang” app by scanning the merchant’s Tung Ngern QR code
- Limited to a maximum of THB 200 per person per day
- Rights can be used from 06:00 – 23:00 hrs
The Khon La Khrueng Plus rights are valid only for single journey tickets, purchasable from ticketing staff, and cannot be used to top up or add rides to Rabbit Cards. Surveys found that some beneficiaries opt to buy two tickets in the morning for use within the same day, before midnight, to avoid congestion and facilitate a smoother travel experience without queuing multiple times.
Mr. Lavaron Sangsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), also pointed out that on the first day of the “Khon La Khrueng Plus” scheme, there was enthusiastic public participation nationwide since early morning, and the “Pao Tang” application operated smoothly without any disruptions.
As of 8:00 a.m., just two hours after the program began, 470,000 people had already made payments by scanning, with total spending reaching approximately THB 84 million. By region, the Northeast (Isan) saw the highest usage at 21%, followed by the South at 15%, Bangkok and its metropolitan area at 14%, the Central region at 13%, the North and East at 10% each, and the West at 4%.
On the first day, a total of 133,000 stores were ready to serve, out of 638,000 that have successfully registered. The majority were food and beverage vendors, accounting for 300,000 stores, followed by 148,000 Blue Flag Pracharath shops, with the remainder being other types of businesses.
The Permanent Secretary added that stores interested in joining the program could still register until December 19, 2025. Meanwhile, Krungthai Bank PCL (SET: KTB) will provide weekend outreach support to assist stores experiencing difficulties with the application process.
Regarding the “Khon La Khrueng Plus” Phase 2, Mr. Lavaron confirmed that the government will certainly proceed. Currently, the MoF is reviewing the criteria and requirements, and is seeking to introduce attractive features to increase engagement from both the public and stores.
Mr. Vinit Visessuvanapoom, Director General of the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) and spokesperson for the MoF, stated that since 6:00 a.m., the program has received strong interest. As of 12:30 p.m., over 2.49 million people had successfully made payments through the scheme, with total spending exceeding THB 501.11 million. Of this amount, THB 252.40 million was paid by the public and THB 248.71 million was contributed by the government.
The public can use the program benefits at participating stores from October 29, 2025, to December 31, 2025, between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. via G-Wallet in the “Pao Tang” app, and there is no requirement to utilize the full THB 200 daily entitlement.
