Not long ago, a member of Yangon’s regional parliament proposed launching water taxis as a way of fighting traffic and making commutes less of a nightmare.
There wasn’t a whole lot of vocal support at the time, but an official with the city’s Inland Water Transport Department has revealed that substantive discussions are under way and a pilot route using the Bago and Hlaing Rivers and Pansodan Jetty could happen.
The official, as usual, wasn’t named, but he told the Voice that studies had been done in April and May on the feasibility of the project and that it could benefit residents.
“JICA [Japan’s aid agency] proposed to make water taxis. But we can’t confirm when we can start it,” he was quoted as saying.
“As the Inland Water Transport Department,” the official added, “we are ready to accept international support or proposals for a project.”
We have contacted JICA for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
Ferries (other than the one running back and forth from Pansodan Jetty to Dala across the Yangon River) have been used in other parts of the city in the past, but the service ended due to a lack of customers and the high costs of upkeep.
Reader Interactions