BANGKOK, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- One of Bangkok's metro operators has been warned to make prior notice to the public before removing seats from its service trains as a way to relieve overcrowding in rush hours, local media reported on Wednesday.
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority said on Tuesday that the seats removal had sparked public debates which urged the train operator to inform the public two to three weeks prior to any further removal.
The Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc(BEM), operator of the metro blue line, removed 14 seats from one of its service train on Monday, saying that the seat removal was aimed at accommodating more people in rush hours.
BEM currently have 19 carriages on the route and plans to purchase 16 more. The new carriages are expected to be put into use by 2019.
The move ignited arguments on social media.
Some frequent passengers in rush hours saw the move helpful in increasing passenger capacity and speeding up passenger flows.
Those disagreeing with the move said that the operator should add more trains instead of leaving the burden onto passengers by making them stand. They blamed the train operator for implementing such a ridiculous measure to benefit themselves.
Some human right activists urged BEM to restore the seats removed and suspend the removal, claiming that they will take legal actions otherwise.
Observers said prior seats for disabled and elderly are still available as the seats were removed only from the train's middle carriage. They said mass transit system functions mainly to bring people convenience. The move is just a trial to solve congestion problems.
Bangkok's blue line has been in operation for more than 13 years. The average number of passengers per day has been increased from 147,000 to 300,000 nowadays while BEM is still waiting for the delivery of new trains.
Data from the MRTA showed that the seat removal from all of a train's carriages could increase passenger capacity from 885 to 950 per trip.
