Travelling by bus in Thailand

Posted by Mr Tuk Tuk on January 13th, 2012 filed in Transportation

In Thailand cheap travel is easy with a bus network that covers most parts of the country. On the principal inter-city routes, especially close to the mainland tourism hubs, travellers are usually offered a choice of different bus classes. Fares for the basic government transport company buses in Thailand are as cheap as third class trains, but with the convenience of many more destinations. The only snag with these buses is that they are usually crowded and get very hot during the summer. They are only cooled by two or three internal fans.

A much better option is to pay a little more and take one of the air-conditioned buses. These luxury coaches have less seats, only two on either side of the aisle, and a quality of service which can rival that of passenger aeroplanes. Larger visitors can take VIP buses which offer bigger seats and more legroom. On major routes such as Bangkok to Chiang Mai, the difference between these two classes is around 100 Baht.

All towns and cities in Thailand have their own bus terminals. The stations are often some way out of town, supposedly to keep traffic out of the centres, but ostensibly to keep taxi and song taew drivers in work. In Bangkok there are three stations: Ekamai serves eastern routes including Pattaya, the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai in Thai) and Morchit, which is the boarding point for all destinations in the north and northeastern regions of Thailand.

Buying tickets at terminals in the smaller towns can sometimes be a problem, yet there is often somebody willing to practice their English and help. Long distance buses for journeys of eight hours or more are generally timed to depart early in the morning or in the evening, giving great arrival times. Buses for shorter trips run throughout the day, with frequencies depending on the popularity of the particular route.