Public Transportation

27 November 2020 As a representative of Disability Network, we joined the launch of an electric-boat service on Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem which was presided over by Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha this morning. There are currently seven fully electric boats servicing eleven piers along the five-kilometer route on Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem.

As in the picture, the screen level is in the good eye level, the wheelchair user can use comfortably, and I do believe that ‘The screen height and buttons’ can be used comfortably by rest –well done!

A quick recap and an urgent call for improvement to make the new electric-boat service on Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem accessible to all: 1. Footpath >> needs to be widened and to have curb ramps to comply with standards. Obstructions such as poles should be relocated. Connectivity with other transportation modes and to/from major locations needs to be looked at. Park and ride facilities are recommended.

23 November 2020 I have been invited by the Traffic and Transportation Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration(BMA) to join their test of an electric-boat service on Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, on behalf of Accessibility is Freedom and Transportation for All member (T4A). Here is what we found from this first and quick survey:

Had heard from the BTS executives that wheelchair ramp is now available at every BTS station. It is the first time in quite a while that I have taken a BTS. Today, I took the ride from Sukumvit > Siam > Surasak station and I am soo o oooo impressed. The service is well executed. The heads of each station even come to supervise the process.

This morning we used CABB taxi, a new player in BKK taxi industry to take my father out of the house. He has Alzheimer’s and a hip fracture, so it is very difficult to go out in a regular car. We usually need to transfer him out of his wheelchair and most taxis have a gas cylinder in the back, so we can’t fit his wheelchair. We use Grab as well, but again, we have to move him physically out of his wheelchair. So in the end, we don’t take him out very much. It makes me sad because my …

This is my first ever visit to Bang Pho district by using public transportation. To optimise the occasion, I headed for Bang Pho Pier to see what changes have taken place since my last long time. Back then, accessing and using the pier in a wheelchair was simply a struggle. My first impression of the same pier this time? JUST WOW!!, I happily rate accessibility improvements seen as highly satisfactory with one recommendation for further work:

A 360° view captured from BTS Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station’s skywalk where part of them are stairs in case you all haven’t seen it yet. ‘The walkway only provides stairs’ issue would not had happened if there was a prior-construction discussion with the Association of People with Disabilities.

Location: Bangkok / BTS Chong Nonsi Station / Sathorn Thani Building Exit Problems: 1. At first – built the walk way link to the building unaccessible for all ***This is illegal *** 2. Then, later built up the ridiculously ramp…

I just got a latest news that the current Prime Minister made a field test on the new modified electric bus. Unfortunately, that’s not an accessible “low-floor bus” (or non-step bus) we would expect. Seen from the picture, there was “a step” inside the bus and obviously even this non-disabled PM needed to have a stone brick in support to prevent his accidental falling. I think we have all the rights to be doubtful about this bus’s efficiency and accessibility.