Transport ministry announces increase in land transportation fares

People using bus services linking Vientiane to other provinces will have to pay more following a revision of transportation fares that was announced by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT).

Passengers using land transportation services on various routes will pay more after the revision of fares because of an increase in fuel prices.

According to a notification issued by the ministry on October 7, the land transport fares were revised because of the continuous increase of fuel prices and to balance the expenses of firms providing transport services.
The new fares will be implemented from Wednesday (October 19) for all destinations across the country.
This means the terminals at the northern and southern bus stations will also implement the new fares. For example, the fare for the 820-km trip from Vientiane to Phongsaly province will be 320,000 kip per passenger on regular buses.
Passengers using Class 2 VIP buses will be charged 380,000 kip per person for the same trip, while passengers on Class 1 VIP buses will pay 420,000 kip per person.
The fare on the southern route from Vientiane to Don Khong island in Champassak province, a journey of 950 km, will be 315,000 kip per person, up from 250,000 kip in recent months.
Passengers using Class 2 and 1 VIP buses will pay 320,000 kip and 380,000 kip, respectively.
Following the announcement on social media, members of the public expressed their disappointment at the increase in transport fares at a time when they plan to visit their hometowns after the End of Buddhist Lent.
“This is another disappointment for me after the ban on inter-provincial travel during the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years,” said Ms Donus Chansamai, a resident of Vientiane who left her hometown in the south two years ago.
She said she felt hopeless about the prospect of visiting her hometown because of the rising fares, an increase in the cost of living and other expenditures, while her wage remained unchanged.
The transport ministry also instructed the Public Works and Transport Departments of the provinces and Vientiane to revise the fares for inter-provincial services and services within provinces according to the terms of agreements between involved parties.
The ministry said that the transport fares can be changed when the price of fuel falls below 19,000 kip per litre, based on the previous notice no. 10777/MoPWT, Office, dated May 13, 2022.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update October 20, 2022)