On the other hand, the geographical location of the waterway network provides possible accessibility through their tributaries and local commuters have this alternative means to travel by utilizing the boat services. Three different types of boat operations are catering their services which include express boats, ferryboats and long-tailed boats. These boats are different in various sizes and purposes. Express boats cater to the needs of those who commute along the Chao Phraya River. While ferryboats serve passengers within the breadth of Chao Phraya River, enabling them to cross the river the long-tailed boats offer their services to passengers who commute into the canals locally known as “klongs.” Figure 4 presents the schematic view of the public transport systems in Bangkok.
3. Water Transport in Bangkok: Long-Tailed Boat Service
Despite the experience of three different types of water transport services in
Bangkok, this study focuses on the more specific type of service that is the service along the canal. This is due to the reason that it is now struggling for its existence with burgeoning land trans- portation modes although it could have been a part of sustainable transportation system and reduce the load on existing land transportation system of Bangkok. The name ‘long-tailed boat’ mainly came from its design which incorporates a motor mounted onboard at the end part which also serves as a steering for the boat (Figure 5).
The spear-shaped body has a flat bottom which is suitable to be used in narrow canals with water depth as low as one meter. The boat is open-sided which can be easily accessed by passengers on both sides of the boat. Long-tailed boat comes in various sizes with the length of hull ranging between 10 to 20 m. The boat is normally fitted with the detachable wooden seats and backrests of about 10 to 20 rows depending on the size which can serve up to 100 passengers as demonstrated in Figure 6. Long-tailed boat can be considered as a low cost transport mode because the investment in this boat service cost only about