VOA慢速英语--泰国出租车公司将闲置汽车变成菜园

Taxicabs in Thailand Used to Grow Crops

In Thailand, taxicabs are giving new meaning to the term "rooftop garden." People are using the rooftops of parked vehicles to grow vegetables.

Many taxicabs in Thailand have lost business during the coronavirus crisis¹. To make better use of them, people have planted small vegetable plots on their rooftops.

Workers from two taxi companies built the small gardens. They stretched black, plastic garbage bags across wooden structures and added soil. Then they planted vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and string beans.

The result looks more like a work of art than a car parking lot. And that is partly the point: to draw attention to the difficulty of taxi drivers and operators in Thai cities. They have lost much business and money due to coronavirus lockdown measures.

These days, Ratchapruk and Bovorn taxi companies only have 500 cars left working the streets of Bangkok. Meanwhile, 2,500 cars are not moving. They are parked at a number of locations throughout the city, says Thapakorn Assawalertkul. He is the manager of one of the businesses.

The streets in the capital have been quiet during the pandemic. This has resulted in a fall in drivers' earnings². Many of them now cannot afford the daily payments on the vehicles. This is even after the daily payment was halved³ to 300 baht, or $9.09, the manager said.

So, the drivers have walked away and have left the cars in long, silent rows.

When the pandemic first hit last year, some drivers gave up their cars and returned to their homes in rural areas. They were scared, Thapakorn said. During the second wave of the coronavirus, more have given up and returned their cars to the companies

Thapakorn said, "Some left their cars at places like gas stations and called us to pick the cars up."

With new surges⁵ of the virus this year, the taxi companies were "completely knocked out." Thousands of cars, he said, were given up by their drivers.

Thailand's new coronavirus cases were at just above 23,400 in mid-August. The government hopes the country is coming out of this wave. It has been the deadliest so far. This wave makes up 97 percent of Thailand's total cases and more than 99 percent of its deaths. In total, Thailand has confirmed 1.4 million cases and over 14,000 deaths.

The situation has left the taxi companies in financial danger. They are struggling to repay⁶ loans on the purchase of their cars.

Ratchapruk and Bovorn companies owe around 2 billion baht or $60.8 million U.S. dollars, Thapakorn said. The government has so far not offered any direct financial support.

"If we don't have help soon, we will be in real trouble," he told The Associated Press on September 16.

The rooftop taxicab gardens do not offer a way to make money. The company managers were asked to take pay cuts. And now they take care of newly-made gardens.

"The vegetable garden is both an act of protest and a way to feed my staff during this tough time," Thapakorn said. "Thailand went through political turmoil⁷ for many years, and a great flood in 2011, but business was never this terrible."

Words in This Story

taxicab – n. a vehicle that carries passengers for a fare usually based on the distance traveled

roof – n. the cover or top of a building, vehicle, etc. rooftop – n. the upper surface of a roof

garden – n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown

park – v. to leave temporarily on a public way or in a parking lot or garage

location – n. a place or position

manager – n. someone who is in charge of a business, department, etc.

surge⁴ – n. to suddenly increase to an unusually high level

knocked out – v. to make inoperative or useless

staff – n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

tough – adj. difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with

turmoil – n. a state of confusion or disorder

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

3 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 surge   

n.汹涌，澎湃；vi.汹涌，强烈感到，飞涨；vt.放开，松手

参考例句：

• The surge travelled southwards along the coast.浪涛沿着海岸向南涌去。
• It failed to stimulate a surge of investment in industry.这没有能刺激工业投资的激增。

5 surges   

n.奔涌向前( surge的名词复数 )；（数量的）急剧上升；（感情等）洋溢；浪涛般汹涌奔腾v.（波涛等）汹涌( surge的第三人称单数 )；（人群等）蜂拥而出；使强烈地感到

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping. 黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The raging tide of revolution surges forward. 革命怒潮汹涌澎湃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 repay   

v.偿还，报答，还钱给

参考例句：

• I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
• I must repay her for her kindness.我必须报答她的恩惠。

7 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。