Bell buses

[SkippyRoo]

O

10 minutes ago, Gibsons1 said:

Which Pattaya bus station is where the routing to the minivans takes place, to go to the hotels? 

I see there are 3 bus depots in Pattaya.  Just wondering which one it is and how close to my hotel in LK Metro.

Do they only shuttle you from the bus station to bigger hotels? I mean if it a smallish guesthouse in Soi lengkee what are the chances they will go past it or indeed know where it is.?

Skippyroo

[Tarl]

43 minutes ago, SkippyRoo said:

O

Do they only shuttle you from the bus station to bigger hotels? I mean if it a smallish guesthouse in Soi lengkee what are the chances they will go past it or indeed know where it is.?

Skippyroo

Just pick a hotel near your guesthouse to be dropped off at is what I do. Often get them to drop me off at Sutus Court and the walk is just a few hundred metres to anyplaces I stay.

[SkippyRoo]

Thanks Tarl great tip.

cheers Skippyroo 

[jpmelville]

On 6.5.2018 at 08:39, Gibsons1 said:

Which Pattaya bus station is where the routing to the minivans takes place, to go to the hotels? 

I see there are 3 bus depots in Pattaya.  Just wondering which one it is and how close to my hotel in LK Metro.

Bell Bus stops at North Bus Station at Naklua. 

[Wolf Cat]

31 minutes ago, jpmelville said:

Bell Bus stops at North Bus Station at Naklua. 

I think you mean Pattaya Nua.  Nakula is farther north.

[jpmelville]

I think North bus station is in Naklua. Everything north of Pattaya Nua is Naklua.

[Gibsons1]

Bell Bus Review:

I arrived at Swampy today around 10am.  I goofed around the airport for a while, hit the can, washed up a little bit, had a bite to eat and drink (the airline barely fed me, 1/2 egg omelettes and 2 tablespoons of chicken stir fry), got a True Move sim and 2 week plan, etc.  

Have to go to Level 1 where the Taxi's and the Buses hang out. 

Found the Bell Bus people where one dude got my printout then gave me a sticker, checked my bag and gave me the ticket.  I had time so he told me to come back later if I wanted.

It was time to board at 11:45, got onto a half full bus, dudes loaded our checked bags and we were all set for Noon.  I know little about buses but it seemed to be relatively new, ice cold AC and run reasonably well.  They even have curtains and seats that lie pretty far back.

 

I timed it as 1:40 to get to the Bus Station (which one I'm not clear on, pulled into what seemed like an alley and had a maze of turns to head into a bus station with 3 or 4 waiting vans, each had a placard stating which hotels they are going to.  I easily found mine listed.  Another 15  minutes goes by, I get dropped off second... and sorry to say that I can't believe there aren't more death's on the mean streets of Pattaya as it looks like the wild west out there.  Anyway, got to my hotel in one piece, just before 2pm, my check in time.  

Price paid was 240 baht, about 1/4 to 1/5th of the price of a taxi.  Unsure how much time is saved by the taxi, so I'll leave this review to anyone who is looking for this type of service.

[Rambuttri village]

I love the term "I goofed around the airport for a while"  At Suvarnabhumi you can do this with ease. As well as a good food court you can go down to the basement up to mid night and change money and get a very good exchange rate. Nice photo's and just reiterates what a good service Bells provide door to door in comfort at one fifth the price of a taxi. (Yes 1/5 because the taxi drivers will expect a tip so your 1100 will become 1200 Baht)

[Gibsons1]

I looked at the rate for my currency and passed.  The little place right beside the hotel I'm staying at has a better rate than at the airport.

[Whalley]

13 hours ago, Gibsons1 said:

I looked at the rate for my currency and passed.  The little place right beside the hotel I'm staying at has a better rate than at the airport.

 

The BKK airport has the highest exchange rates in Thailand but you have to go down 2 floors from the arrivals level.

https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en/exchange

[Gibsons1]

3 minutes ago, Whalley said:

 

The BKK airport has the highest exchange rates in Thailand but you have to go down 2 floors from the arrivals level.

https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en/exchange

Apparently I didn't see it... felt like shit after starting on Tuesday night travelling, so wanted to get to my destination and go from there.

And of the ones I saw, they all had the exact same rate for Canadian.  Got almost a full basis point more at a little ramshackle booth across from the hotel.  

[Woofiee]

On 5/11/2018 at 04:25, Gibsons1 said:

Apparently I didn't see it... felt like shit after starting on Tuesday night travelling, so wanted to get to my destination and go from there.

For the future, head down the metros and through the door turn left - you'll see the little shops on your left and the 7-11, and superrich is just there on your right, before heading to the metros. 

[bangna]

On ‎09‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 17:45, jpmelville said:

Bell Bus stops at North Bus Station at Naklua. 

 

On ‎09‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 20:28, jpmelville said:

I think North bus station is in Naklua. Everything north of Pattaya Nua is Naklua.

The bus station is on Pattaya Nua, near Sukhumvit Road. This is not Naklua!

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by bangna

[james 71]

hi lads ,can you pay using paypal or uk visa card as i don't have thai bank account 

[Bonkabit]

9 minutes ago, james 71 said:

hi lads ,can you pay using paypal or uk visa card as i don't have thai bank account 

Yes.  I have booked several times on the web, using Visa card from my bank here in Australia.

[Gibsons1]

45 minutes ago, james 71 said:

hi lads ,can you pay using paypal or uk visa card as i don't have thai bank account 

Several payment options on their website.  Make sure to print off the ticket and bring with you.  

[taylor1975]

1 hour ago, Gibsons1 said:

Several payment options on their website.  Make sure to print off the ticket and bring with you.  

Alternatively, you can just show them the booking confirmation on your phone - which they provide as a pdf, after you have paid.

[hioctane]

O
Do they only shuttle you from the bus station to bigger hotels? I mean if it a smallish guesthouse in Soi lengkee what are the chances they will go past it or indeed know where it is.?
Skippyroo

You can go on the website and look. When you book, it asks you for your hotel. There is a pretty big list.

[james 71]

hi i land at 15-05 0n a monday ,do you think i would make the 1600 bus ,what happens if you miss this will they put you on the 1800 bus ,can you walk to desk and buy ticket anymore or must it be done online 

[davidge]

1 minute ago, james 71 said:

hi i land at 15-05 0n a monday ,do you think i would make the 1600 bus ,what happens if you miss this will they put you on the 1800 bus ,can you walk to desk and buy ticket anymore or must it be done online 

Can’t help with the Bell bus but the last couple of times I’ve been in the Eva flight it’s been close to 3.30 before we’ve started getting off the plane and Immigration has been VERY busy. I use Fast track so have been through quickly but be prepared for queues, unless you’re lucky.

 

[Evil Penevil]

57 minutes ago, james 71 said:

hi i land at 15-05 0n a monday ,do you think i would make the 1600 bus ,what happens if you miss this will they put you on the 1800 bus ,can you walk to desk and buy ticket anymore or must it be done online 

According to the Bell Website, you must have at least 90 minutes between the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of the flight and the departure of the Bell bus (my highlight):

6. In case of flight delay, our staff will arrange the next available coach for you (only when ETA is at least 1.5 hours away from the booked coach) except for the last Coach Departure time. If there are no available seats, you will have to find an alternative transfer at your own expense. The ticket/booking is, however, not refundable.
If your ETA is less than 1.5 hours away from your booked coach, your booking is expire.

Once, when I was traveling without checked luggage and had access to the Premium Lane on arrival, I booked the Bell bus an hour after my flight's scheduled arrival time.  Unfortunately, that flight was delayed on departure, so it landed two hours late. I got to the Bell departure point about 30 minutes before the next bus was supposed to leave.  They weren't going to let me board because Bell figures from the time the flight was supposed to land, not when it actually landed.  After some discussion, they finally let me on, but I had to pay an extra 50 baht. If that bus had been full, I would have been totally out of luck.

Evil

Edited June 1, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[james 71]

Thanks will book the later bus just in case ,has anyone just tried to get a ticket at the desk lately with any luck 

[likeaking]

27 minutes ago, james 71 said:

Thanks will book the later bus just in case ,has anyone just tried to get a ticket at the desk lately with any luck 

There is no desk at Swampy anymore. It's been gone for months. Tickets through internet only or possibly through the ticket agent at the Pattaya bus station.

Edited June 1, 2018 by likeaking

[bbbz]

My one and only experience with this company was bad.  A while back.

I was put on the list for a return to BKK.  They never came to pick me up at my hotel as promised so walked over to their office.  They spoke in Thai and then someone took me to the public bus station where I was put on a center seat in the aisle on the next bus to Bangers.

Fcuk this bus company.

[Lambik]

It's always distressing to have a bad experience.

But BellBus is mostly reliable, they are operating daily since many years.