Passengers leap onto canal boat in perilous commute that sees dozens fall into the water every year

These passengers make a perilous commute leaping onto a ferry which sees dozens of people fall into the water every year.

The boat pulls up to the side of a canal to take locals on journeys around the city in Bangkok, Thailand.

The form of transport is the cheapest in the country at just 10 baht (0.24gbp) a ride, sometimes covering up to 12 miles. But it also carries plenty of risks.

To board the boat, passengers have to crowd round and step from the dock across a gap and then duck below the moving boat's awning - as the filthy water laps below.

Footage from the Pratunam Pier this morning shows how women carrying shopping bags or men with briefcases leap onto the vessel - sometimes while it's still arriving or pulling away.

''We have to hurry up because the boat stops then moves away quickly,'' said one passenger, an office worker named Fah Thida.

''When it's busy there are many people all trying to jump on at the same time.''

Although canal ferries are popular, and cheaper than alternatives like taxis or the subway, there are regular accidents from people tripping when they get on and off the boat.

In December last year, brave onlookers had to jump into the water and haul a woman to safety after she fell while stepping off a boat - only avoiding being crushed because locals pushed the boat back.