(25 September) Bangkok authority has launched a free bicycle borrowing service around the tourist attractions in the Old City.
Ms. Pranee Sattayaprakorb, director of the cultural and tourism office for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said officials have installed six bicycle stations for Thais and foreign tourists alike to use when exploring the tourist attractions.
Four of the stations are in eastern bank of Bangkok: at the Royal Field (Sanam Luang), BMAs tourism office, Pra Sumen Fort, and the Giant Swing. The other two are located in the western bank of Bangkok: at the Temple of Dawn and Rama I Bridge.
Each station holds 20 bicycles, Ms. Pranee said. They will be operating from 10.00-18.00 on Monday to Friday, and 09.00-19.00 on the weekends. Either a Thai ID card or a passport should be deposited at the station when borrowing the bike.
Ms. Pranee added that bicycles borrowed from each bank of the city would have to be returned to the respective bank.
Bangkok recently hosted a Car Free Day in order to encourage more bicycle usage in the city notorious for its traffic jam. More than 20,000 cyclists participated in the event last Sunday.