Newbie Guide to Baht Buses

[rog555]

Odd thing about 'baht bus' name.

Thai's call them 'song thaew' (สองแถว) which means 2 rows of seats.  Reasonable name.

But falang have come up 'Baht bus'.  Maybe related to the price being 1 baht at some point or a low number of baht.

The odd thing is that falang pronounce this with a letter 'R' in it.  As in 'Bart' Simpson, or 'BART train' (Bay Area Rapid Transit, SF train system).

But falang pronounce the thai currency differently as in '10 bat'.    No letter 'R' in sight.

Everyday shops tell us 'nnn bat', and we hear it all the time.  Yet falang switch to 'bart' when talking about buses. I do it too.

Should be a 'bat bus'.  For batman and robin. 555.

See what I mean ? Odd ?

Edited June 27, 2022 by rog555

[little_me]

On 09/04/2019 at 11:48, dingbat22 said:

Why oh why those baht buses have not figured out a way to put route numbers in their windows so we know where the fuck they are going

Primarily, because they don't care.

And it helps there overall industry every time you want to go left and they turn right, so that you have to get out and find another one for another 10 baht.

[biggles]

I remember not that many years ago when the local govt 'organised' the baht bus routes. They all had a large number above the front window, showing the route they took. Of course the routes were not well thought out and drivers just ignored them. TIT

[dh842]

So after a night of drinking in Walking Street how do I get back to LK Metro by baht bus?

[xerxez]

This guide on the baht bus is required reading for newbies.  Great info for getting around the city. 

 

[ifriendyou]

On 07/08/2022 at 09:09, dh842 said:

So after a night of drinking in Walking Street how do I get back to LK Metro by baht bus?

1) Get off at Kiss food and drink on the Second Road and walk 5 minutes. Else

2) Take a Bhat Bus to Soi Bhoakhaw along South Pattaya road, if the bus does not turn into Soi Bhoakhaw, get off and take another bus going into Soi Bhoakhaw right up to Soi LK Metro

Edited November 29, 2022 by ifriendyou

[ifriendyou]

Does the standard Bhat bus ride cost 10B for falangs even to this day or has it gone up? Would appreciate this info... will land in LOS soon....

Edited November 29, 2022 by ifriendyou

[LASportsNut]

1 minute ago, ifriendyou said:

Does the standard Bhat bus ride cost 10B for falangs even to this day or has it gone up? Would appreciate this info... will land in LOS soon....

It is still 10 baht

[padfoot]

Yea, that is amazing! My first trip was in '06 and 16 years later it is the same price. If I was a Bhat Bus driver I would be pissed off.

[LASportsNut]

48 minutes ago, padfoot said:

Yea, that is amazing! My first trip was in '06 and 16 years later it is the same price. If I was a Bhat Bus driver I would be pissed off.

If you were a baht bus driver you might not have the intelligence to be pissed off.  555

[LovinBgood]

48 minutes ago, padfoot said:

Yea, that is amazing! My first trip was in '06 and 16 years later it is the same price. If I was a Bhat Bus driver I would be pissed off.

Bigger problem for drivers is that the City of Pattaya has dolled out over 550 baht bus licences.  The other day I counted 15 baht buses between Avenue mall and Royal Garden.... maybe 200 meters.  As usual out of 15 baht buses there were only one or 2 people in about half of them and the others were completely empty.   Queue system is needed and also a daytime and nightime drivers schedule should be set IMO.  

It is a free for all on second road and beach road, but if you want to go East on Pattaya Tai, Klang, or Naklua  you sit and wait until they have several passengers

[LASportsNut]

You do not realize it when you are on the buses, but if you ever drive a motorbike around town you soon realize how bad of drivers these guys are.

They clog up Second Road and Beach Roads by driving so slow or going from one side of the road to the other suddenly without warning.

Of course this makes since since some one obviously rang the buzzer in the back but as a motorbike driver you have to be alert at all times.

I can live with this, it is mostly when they sit in a lane and driver back and forth from one side of the lane to the other side of the lane, blocking a line of motorbikes trying to safely pass.

[striderman]

On 07/08/2022 at 10:39, dh842 said:

So after a night of drinking in Walking Street how do I get back to LK Metro by baht bus?

 

3 hours ago, ifriendyou said:

1) Get off at Kiss food and drink on the Second Road and walk 5 minutes. Else

2) Take a Bhat Bus to Soi Bhoakhaw along South Pattaya road, if the bus does not turn into Soi Bhoakhaw, get off and take another bus going into Soi Bhoakhaw right up to Soi LK Metro

i live in south pattaya.

option 1 would be my route

option 2 you are going to be able to walk to buakaow  before a baht bus fills for sukhumvit. so you might as well go with the first choice

[leyenburg]

After leaving pattaya in a hurry when the country closed due to covid 

I finally comming back after the summer 

So my question is what is the cost now still ten bath ore did it go up

[Thomaz73]

3 hours ago, leyenburg said:

my question is what is the cost now still ten bath ore did it go up

Still 10. But 20 is appreciated. I'm a simp. 

[enzoae]

A friend of mine is in Pattaya now and in one of his instalments in his trip report he mentioned that the fare has gone up 100 % coming from Jomtien to get down to 2nd Road from 10 to 20 baht was this somebody misleading him or the norm and does that pertain just to and from Jomtien, thanks in advance for the  confirmation.

[simon6666]

13 minutes ago, enzoae said:

A friend of mine is in Pattaya now and in one of his instalments in his trip report he mentioned that the fare has gone up 100 % coming from Jomtien to get down to 2nd Road from 10 to 20 baht was this somebody misleading him or the norm and does that pertain just to and from Jomtien, thanks in advance for the  confirmation.

Sometimes they charge 20 on that route for a longer trip. Was happening pre-COVID too.

I think they decide based on how long you've been on the thing. That's how I always understood it, anyway.

[Yankser]

Just a reminder, dont engage the drivers in a chat or ask questions just get on and when you’re done get off with the 10 baht in your hand and straight in the window.