Sonthiwong Mongkolsawat, a lawyer for the group, said yesterday that the Civil Court had agreed to hear seven plaintiff witnesses on February 17. The plaintiffs have said they were unable to use the BTS because lifts were not available at all stations to cater for disabled passengers.

“My client Supornchai Mongkolsawas, a representative of the handicap group, filed a lawsuit against the BMA for Bt361,000 in damages as the BMA failed to install lifts in BTS stations in time. Handicapped people who use wheelchairs are unable to use the BTS,” Sonthiwong said.

He said Supornchai represented 98 handicapped people who had submitted the complaint to the court on January 20.

According to an Administrative Court verdict, the BMA was required to install lifts at all 23 BTS stations by January of last year. However, the installation is not yet complete.