Passengers use Pansodan-Dala crossing again after Thingyan holiday
23 April 2020 - Source: Global New Light of Myanmar
Yangon Pansodan-Dala jetty is seen again with the passengers after the stay home period during Thingyan holiday, said Manager Daw Khin Khin Nu of Pansodan Jetty.
After staying home period during Thingyan holiday, the government staff and the employees from private companies are back to their work. So, they are using public transport as usual. Those living either in Yangon or Dala have to ride the water ferries again. Mostly, the people from Dala township are reliant upon the IWT ferries with a few using the privately-owned motored sampans. So, the Pansodan-Dala jetty is now livened again with the commuters particularly in the early morning compared to the other times. As a Covid-19 protection and containment measure, the government urged people to stay home from 10 to 19 April. So, people from across the nation followed government instructions by staying home with only very few people travelling.
With the decline in the number of passengers in Pansodan-Dala jetty during the Thingyan period, the ferries were run for only seven crossings per day from 10 to 14 April and for only four crossings per day from 15 to 19 April. After Thingyan holidays, the ferries are running to and fro 48 crossings starting from 20 April, which is the first day of the lifting of the stay home rule for the employees and their resumption of duties makes the jetty with more people, she said.
Currently, the three Cherry water ferries are operating 48 times per day with an interval of crossings being 20 minutes, 30 minutes and one hour from 5:30 am to 7:30 pm. The ferries are aimed to ensure the convenience of the passengers.
The Pansodan-Dala crossing is the only gateway for the local people in southern Yangon — Dala, Twantay, Kawhmu, Kungyangon townships and some townships in Ayeyawady Region to link with the commercial hub of Yangon City.
Normally, there are nearly 30,000 passengers on board the ferries per day and the earning is around K3 million. During the Thingyan holiday period, there are only a few passengers and the earning was only K30,000 per day, according to the Delta Division of the Inland Water Transport (IWT). —Naing Lin Kyaw (Dala) (Translated by Hay Mar)
