The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has unveiled a special barrier that taxi drivers can use to shield themselves from customers amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
AVM Kitsom Phankosol, deputy director of the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering, handed the "taxi bulkhead barriers" to five taxi operators in Bangkok yesterday: Thongkham, Bang Son, Pradipat, Jae Orn and Ekkarat.
The barrier will be placed between drivers and passengers to prevent transmission and it can be installed and removed without the need to modify the vehicle.
A prototype was designed by the RTAF and a team of aeronautical engineers prepared the blueprint and handed copies to the five operators to replicate.
The design is based on aircraft bulkhead barriers as airforce engineers based their design around the 2018 Toyota Altis, a car commonly used as taxis in the capital.
The barrier is made out of sheets of polycarbonate, a transparent and durable substance. Each barrier has six fans for ventilation and an air filter.
An opening in the barrier will allow passengers to pay fares.
The materials needed to make the barriers are readily available and the Air Force has estimated that the cost to make one is about 2,700 baht.