New e-boats to start plying Bangkok canals from Friday

Photo by THE NATION

BANGKOK — The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has tested seven electric boats on Monday before they go into service from Friday.

These e-boats will run along Bangkok’s Phadung Krung Kasem Canal in line with the project of improving the capital’s water transportation system.

These boats, run completely by power generated from solar cells installed on the roof, will be monitored by the authorities via the pre-installed GPS system.

The 9.9-meter long and 2.9-meter wide boats can run at a maximum speed of 17 kilometers per hour, compared to the 15kmph speed of ordinary canal boats.

The new boats can seat 30 passengers and have space for one wheelchair.

Canal boats run along the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal from 6am to 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 7pm on weekends.