Boats are the oldest means of transportation in Bangkok. However, because of the
dramatic shift in the city’s development began around 1857 in the reign of King Mongkut (Rama
IV), land based lifestyle were introduced and the major mode of transportation started to move
away from the water.
Today, of approximately 1,200 existing waterways are only a few on which official public
transport routes continue their services. Express riverboats (a boat has a capacity of nearly 80
passengers) serve piers on the Chao Phraya River, running every 10-20 minutes from Wat
Ratsingkhon (a riverside temple in the Yannawa area) to Bangkok’s northern neighboring
province of Nonthaburi. During rush hours, the express boat with a red and orange striped flag
runs along the same route and stops only at main piers. A survey in 2000 shows that when
Figure 4.10 Canal bus, Khlong San Sap.
100
combined together, these river boats carry back and forth 78,664 passengers per day. Ferries
also link east and west banks, and long tail boats are available at some piers for renting to travel
into auxiliary canals.
There is only one canal bus route left in the area on the east-side of the river. The boat
runs every 15-20 minutes daily on the San Sap Canal, which connects Bangkok to the eastern
out skirt. In spite of its polluted water and poorly built piers, San Sap is still worth for people to
avoid the congested roads. It carries more than 12,000 commuters a day. This canal bus
service, operated by a private organization, has been considered as a demonstration route for
more than 10 years.
There were two more canal bus routes but have been ceased the operations after the
end of the year 1999 because of the lack of governmental support, polluted water, and low
standard service, which represses the opportunity for serving people as an alternative mass
transit. Other than these, there are several private rental boats, tourist boats, and water taxis
found at significant piers along the river as well as in canals, especially in the area on the
Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya. Recently, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has
considered to rerun public transport in these canals once again. But, the problem would remain if
there were still no substantial plan or support to ensure the stability of the canal bus service.