The Marine Department has pledged to improve the environmental health of the Khlong Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok by supporting the use of electric boats and reducing pollution levels.
The department also said it would add more CCTV cameras across 28 piers along the canal to improve safety for passengers travelling along the canal.
Atirat Ratanasate, the deputy transport minister, yesterday said it planned to encourage Family Transport Co -- an operator of public boat services -- in its aims to replace the use of noisy long-tail boats that run on oil, with cleaner electric boats.
"Family Transport Co is cooperating with the government and it will use electric boats in its fleet.
However, the ministry asks the company to keep the ticket prices the same to help commuters save money," Mr Atirat told the media yesterday after attending a test run of a pilot electric boat in Khlong Saen Saep canal.
In addition, the Marine Department has pledged it will add another 188 CCTV cameras at 28 piers along the canal.
Currently, there are 144 CCTV sets installed, but only at some piers.
The Marine Department under the Transport Ministry is collaborating with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Kasetsart University, Beta Energy Solution Co, as well as Family Transport Co, for pilot projects of electric boats along the canal.
The pilot electronic boat can carry 100 passengers with three crew.
It needs to recharge every two hours and can run up to 20 kilometres per hour.
The test will be ongoing to determine whether the electronic boats are fit for service and if improvements need to be made.
The BMA will also be using three electronic boats for collecting rubbish along the canal.