Motor Expo 2026

After midnight on October 31, 2016, from 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM, the Intercity Motorway Division will close the Easy Pass and M-PASS lanes to support combined usage. After midnight, it can be used immediately with a single card. For those who have two cards, only one card needs to be chosen to pass through immediately. "From midnight on October 31st onwards, choose just one preferred card, and you can pass through both motorways and expressways."

At 12:00 PM on October 31, 2016, holders of M-Pass cards from the Department of Highways and Easy Pass cards from the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) will be able to use the cards they hold from each system interchangeably on both the expressway system, the Southern Outer Ring Road, and Motorways No. 7 (Bangkok-Chonburi) and No. 9 (Bang Na-Bang Pa-in), after approximately 4 years of pushing for this initiative.

"The advantage is that people using the expressway and motorway systems will now be able to use a single card for all systems, instead of having to carry two separate cards. Currently, both M-Pass and Easy Pass cards have waived the card deposit fee, but the 1,000 baht application fee can be deducted as a toll fee when using the service."

Additionally, the department has held discussions with Don Mueang Tollway Public Company Limited or Tollway to encourage the company to invest in installing card readers to support M-Pass and Easy Pass cards, facilitating cardholders of both systems to also use the Tollway. Currently, only Smart Purse cards or Seven Card membership cards from Thai Smartcard Co., Ltd., which is a company in the CP All Public Company Limited group, the operator of 7-Eleven, are accepted, with approximately 3 million cardholders in the market.

"The Tollway has requested time to study the matter because of limitations at the tollbooths, which were not designed to support such a system, and the available space is quite limited. This makes it quite difficult to reduce the number of cash lanes to an automatic card-supported system. Furthermore, the current Smart Purse card system only requires holding the card and tapping it on the machine, and the card readers are a different system from M-Pass and Easy Pass cards. However, in the future, all systems, including expressways, motorways, and tollways, must be linked to provide greater convenience for the public."

Regarding the integration of the M-Pass and Easy Pass card systems under the ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), Krungthai Bank has been tasked with studying the approach for establishing a Central Toll Clearing House (CTCH). Originally scheduled to begin operation by May 2016, delays due to legal and Value Added Tax (VAT) issues have pushed back the timeline. A final conclusion was recently reached, and it will begin operation on October 31st.

Meanwhile, the common ticketing system, Mangmoom Card, is expected to launch in February 2017 for four electric train lines: BTS Skytrain, MRT Subway, Airport Rail Link, and the Purple Line (Bang Yai-Tao Poon) as the first phase. The expressway, motorway, and bus systems will follow in subsequent phases, as their systems will also need to be upgraded to support the Mangmoom Card.

It will be used in conjunction with the common ticketing system, whose details have already been designed by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) and is awaiting installation. This common ticketing system will be usable with expressways, motorways, and other transportation systems including boats, electric trains, and buses. It is expected to begin use in February 2017 with the Purple Line (Bang Sue-Bang Yai) electric train, BTS Skytrain, expressways, and motorways first.

**It won't be long until we can use a single card for everything, from eating to riding trains and boats, just like Hong Kong's Octopus Card.***  

For more information, contact the Intercity Motorway Division at 1586, 24/7.

Source  prachachat.net and Department of Highways