Thai authorities seek to ease air pollution in capital by offering free public transport

BANGKOK — Thai authorities have made travel by public transport in Bangkok free for a week starting Saturday, the latest tactic to try to tackle soaring levels of air pollution that have already seen hundreds of schools closed and employees working from home.

The travel concession allows passengers to ride buses and elevated and underground electric trains in the capital without charge. Authorities hope the move will cut the number of private cars on the road, to reduce one key factor driving the surge in pollution.

On Friday, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her concern in a statement on her Facebook page. She said her government is fully committed to solving the problem with short- and long-term measures.

Air pollution has been a problem for many years in Thailand's north, where the burning of forests and agricultural waste are major contributing factors. But in recent years Bangkok has also begun to suffer with extended periods of high levels of pollutants, especially during the cooler months.

These microscopic particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs and then move further into the body, causing both short-term bronchial problems and serious long-term health issues.

Among factors blamed are car and factory emissions and dust from building sites.

On Saturday, the Swiss-based commercial monitoring service IQAir ranked Bangkok as being the world's 14th most polluted city, with an air quality it categorized as borderline unhealthy for everyone. It had been among the top 10 cities worldwide earlier in the week.