Thai launches to beat traffic

Thai launches to beat traffic

BANGKOK (Reuter): First it was nurses on motorbikes, now the authorities in traffic-clogged Bangkok are thinking of using high-speed river launches to get people to hospital in a hurry.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is studying a project to design and equip 10 ambulance launches to ply the Chao Phraya river and city canals, deputy governor Chaiyantra Kampanatresanyakon said yesterday.

"My idea is to help the patient get to hospital in time and the waterway ambulances would save many lives," Chaiyantra said.

Millions of Bangkok residents who live near the banks of the river and canals would have speedy access to the many hospitals located near the waterways. Five state-run hospitals alone line the banks of the Chao Phraya which separates Bangkok from the town of Thon Buri.