Thai authorities have made travel by public transport in Bangkok free for a week, the latest tactic to try to tackle soaring levels of air pollution that have already seen hundreds of schools closed and employees working from home.

Flying through Bangkok's cloudless blue skies, a small aircraft sprays a white mist over a thick haze of pea soup smog below.

Thailand's PM2.5 pollution crisis has intensified into a political issue as local elections approach on February 1. Opposition leader Natthapong Ruangpanyawut criticized Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shi

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered free public transport in Bangkok for one week, starting on Feb. 25, in a move to deal with the alarming air pollution in the capital city.

It's a method that's largely unproven, but Thailand's government is willing to try anything after air pollution in the capital reached eight times the daily maximum average recommended by the WHO.

In a bid to tackle rising air pollution, Thailand has launched a week-long free public transport campaign in its capital city, Bangkok. The measure, which started on Saturday, is aimed at reducing the use of private vehicles—a major contributor to the city's worsening air quality.