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Commuter horror stories
- Published: 10 Nov 2011 at 11.00
- Online news: Easier Stuff
Many workers are finding the trip to work almost impossibly long or impossibly expensive.
The daily commute to and from work can now take up to eight hours for some workers in flood-affected areas. PATIPAT JANTHONG
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Commuter horror stories
"I am tired of travelling during the floods,” says Tanikan Sopito, a government official.
She has a good reason to complain. What used to be a one hour commute to work from her home in Laksi district to Phaya Thai can now take up to eight hours – five in the morning and three in the evening.
From her house, which is submerged in waist-deep water, she takes a boat ride to a pick-up spot where a military truck takes her to a main road.
There, she takes another ride in a bigger 10-wheel truck to catch a bus to her office in Phaya Thai district.
Many workers are facing difficulties travelling from their flooded suburbs to their offices, mostly in unaffected inner parts of the city.
Some have called on employers to temporarily close businesses until the water recedes, or allow them to work from home or some other suitable place. One employee with an advertising company, who asked not to be named, said her boss had called her twice, asking her to go back to work.
She and her family left Bangkok for Tak's Mae Sot district almost 10 days ago to live with friends as they could no longer endure the tap water, which had turned yellow.
"I didn't know what to do, so I told my boss that I wanted to take leave without pay for two weeks to keep both sides happy," she said.
One frequently-heard complaint among commuters is the exorbitant fees charged by boat owners to ferry them to work, or even to the mouth of their soi.
Some have asked the police to arrest boat operators and demanded state agencies arrange free or cheaper boat services in the city's flood-hit districts.
"It is a really expensive boat ride. I pay up to 200 baht for the short ride to work and then back home every day," said a state-enterprise official.
He said some people have been forced to pay about 500 baht for the short boat ride from their flooded communities to main roads.
Adapted from a story in today’s Bangkok Post by Thanida Tansubhapol.
commute – regular travel between work and home การเดินทางระหว่างบ้านและที่ทำงาน
commuters – people who regularly travel between work and home คนเดินทางระหว่างบ้านและที่ทำงาน
horror – a strong feeling of shock or fear caused by something extremely unpleasant ความหวาดกลัว, ความขยะแขยง
complain – to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/something บ่น, ร้องทุกข์
submerged – under water จมน้ำ อยู่ใต้น้ำ
waist – the middle part of the body that is narrower than the parts above and below เอว
spot – the particular place where someone or something is ที่, สถานที่
suburb – an area or town near a large city but away from its centre ชานเมือง
temporarily – for a limited period of time ชั่วคราว
recede – to move back; to move further away into the distance; subside ลดลง, ถอยหลัง
suitable – acceptable or right for someone or something เหมาะสม
employee – someone who is paid regularly to work for a person or an organisation ลูกจ้าง
endure – to suffer something difficult or unpleasant in a patient way over a long period of time อดทนเพื่อให้ผ่านเวลาหรือเหตุการณ์ที่เลวร้าย
tap water – water that is sent through pipes into building น้ำประปา
leave – time take off from work, either paid or unpaid การพักงาน
frequently – happening often เกิดขึ้นบ่อย
exorbitant – (especially of prices or demands) much too large มากเกินไป สูงเกินไป
fee – an amount of money that you pay to be allowed to do something ค่าธรรมเนียม
ferry – to carry people or goods in a boat or other vehicle from one place to another, often for a short distance and as a regular service
arrest – (of the police) to take someone to a police station because they are believed to have committed a crime จับกุม
operator – a person or company that runs a business ผู้ดำเนินกิจการทางธุรกิจ, ผู้ประกอบธุรกิจ
state – government รัฐบาล
state-enterprise – a company owned by the government รัฐวิสาหกิจ
community – the people living in one particular area ชุมชน
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