The Case Study of the Problems and Needs of People in the Use of Transportation Systems for Ferry Boats around Kor Mueang (Main Island), Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to: 1) Study the problems of the people in using the transportation system of ferry boats around the island of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya 2) to study the demand for people in using the ferry transportation system services around the island of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. The research instrument was a questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation by surveying opinions from 400 people using open-ended questions by submitting a questionnaire using the research survey form and returning to the study group. The research results were from 203 females and 208 male ages between 15 and 29 years old. Most of them were under-bachelor's degree, with regular income less than 15,000 baht. The occupation of the people who used the service was mostly employees of private companies and the government. Of the people surveyed 161 were of a single status and 239 people were married. Most passengers choose to use the public passenger boat total of 385 people. The frequency of most services is 6 days per week and the reason why they choose to travel by ferry boat transportation is because it fits their everyday life better.

They are five major problems of transportation system of ferry boats around the island of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya that needed to be solved which are 1) the condition of the ferries 2) customer service 3) the issue of fare 4) problems of the available passenger terminals 5) encountered problems and the development needs of ferry passengers.

Most of the problems and needs of the ferry system depend on the safety of the ferry. The hypothesis and the testing results found that the problems and needs of the users of the passenger boat transportation system around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province had an effect on the safety of passenger ferries. Therefore, it is necessary to improve services in various areas so that consumers will be satisfied with the service and return to use the service more often. With the high cost of changing the environment or providing more convenience, the profit will be affected due to the rate of service. In order to accommodate low-income passengers, this research should bring all information to improve and develop the water transportation system in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, in order to benefit to the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Development Strategy for infrastructure and logistics systems.

This study should be used to correct and improve the public water transportation system in a correct way, enhance customer service, and in the part of entrepreneurs, to improve better management policies and services, especially in helping to reduce accidents causing the loss of  life and property. This research can contribute to the overall picture of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya's transportation system and can help to solve the problems that can be found in the future.