Bell Bus or Taxi

[thailearner]

I have always used a taxi to get to Pattaya and never used the bell bus.

 

For my next trip in March I will arrive at BKK on the Eva air flight from London. The plane is due to land at 1545hrs.

 

There is no way I would be able to get the 1600hrs Bell bus.

 

So do I hang around the airport until 1800hrs or get a taxi?

 

Baht bus is cheaper but I have to hang around the airport and I don't get to Pattaya till later on.

 

Taxi I get to Pattaya quicker but is more expensive.

[sam diego]

By the time you get thru the passport line and baggage pick up, it will be close to 1800. Depends if you want to pay 200 bht or 1200 bht.

[overseas516]

I have exactly the same problem with Thai Airways flight gets in @ 15.55. I emailed Mr T 2 hours ago and just had a reply 1000 baht Gate No 3 with placard with my name on it.

[thailearner]

By the time you get thru the passport line and baggage pick up, it will be close to 1800. Depends if you want to pay 200 bht or 1200 bht.

 

i will clear customs and get my bags well before 1800hrs, I am through in about an hour.

 

I can also get a taxi for 1000bht using Mr t

[sam diego]

Take the taxi. Quicker and only 800 bht more.

[jocky king]

Last four years i used that bus,.. Excellent srevice... Non stop to Pattaya from Airport .. 7am, to 10 pm.. Every two hours for only 124 bt

 

http://search.yahoo....pattayabus.com/

Edited November 20, 2011 by jocky king

[Soi Sauce]

Will never use Mr T again!! Driver was either hi on drugs, drunk, tied or just f*cking incompetent.

 

Just emailed him to let him know exactly what I think of his operation.

 

KhunT?

[eanto]

Bell Bus all the way on that time frame.

[Stupid]

I just get a taxi. It's quicker which means i'm emptying me sacks quicker. I'm that stupid that I spend around 2 Grand (Stirling) in under 2 weeks, so another 800 Baht is'nt gonna make any difference. Hence the name stupid!

[dayo202]

i'm on the same flight times as you on eva air, you would have cleaned customs and got your bags before 4pm, would you

want to hang around for two hours waiting for the bell bus after being up the air for 11hours....

e-mail Mr T get him to pick you up...

[CJ-PAF]

My plane lands at 5am so I always take the Taxi down but take I Bell back. Their service is great and the price can't be beat.

[Daveo]

This maybe useful.

[eanto]

i'm on the same flight times as you on eva air, you would have cleaned customs and got your bags before 4pm, would you

want to hang around for two hours waiting for the bell bus after being up the air for 11hours....

e-mail Mr T get him to pick you up...

 

You reckon 15 mins to clear baggage and immigration? No chance!

[dayo202]

You reckon 15 mins to clear baggage and immigration? No chance!

my mistake i miss read the OP, i thought the plane touch down 15.15hrs that would take 45mins to clear baggage and immigration.....

[Luv2Phuket]

Bumping this thread, as it plays into my current dilemma a little bit.

 

In November, I arrive at 11:05 a.m. on a Saturday -- I just don't see myself being able to clear immigration at that hour and get my bag in time to make the noon Bell bus.

 

Given some medical equipment I tote along with me (and the fact that I notoriously over-pack), "carry-on only" is NOT an option. That said, I'm thinking that the immigration line will pretty much eat up the time it takes for my bag to arrive any way.

 

First time for me to arrive at that hour. I took the Thai non-stop from LAX that arrived at around 6 a.m. on my prior trips and immigration was a piece of cake at that hour. I even had to wait for my bag to arrive. Even then, I think it took me at least 30 minutes to get through everything.

 

Has anyone landed at BKK at around 11 a.m. on a Saturday? Any thoughts/comments on how bad (or good) immigration lines were?

[udontony]

There are the normal service bus, same company as Bell bus that picks up from the same place in the airport and they are on the hour between when the Bell bus runs. They only drop off on Sukhomvit road in Pattaya at any point that you ask them. Then you need a baht bus from there to Beach road. Pattaya Klang drop off is easy and baht bus to second road or beach road will ony cost you 10 or 20 baht depending on where your hotel is. From memory the fare is about 120 baht but not certain about that.

[rodney66au]

The Bell bus is OK!!! But I am taking a taxi next time as I got sick of the stop offs, and extra pick-ups. then I had to wait in the terminal for a while. If you,ve got plenty of time and want to save a bit then the Bells bus is fine..I,m probably just an impatient bastard!!!

[LASportsNut]

Taxi without a doubt. If you think about the cost of a taxi compared to what it would cost for the same time frame almost anywhere else in the world, you cannot beat it. I would only take the bus if it was without any waiting involved.

[Sam Beckett]

Taxi or other car transfport for me next trip.

Bus was FULL both ways

Never again...lol

[Tomj]

I am always using taxi as well. Haven't got the patience to wait for the bus to leave airport after a 10,5 hours flight. 800 baht more is no big deal. That is what most of us spend on lady drinks every night.

[Bakwan]

If your plane lands any time between 6:00am and 4:00pm, the Bell Bus is the best option. This allows up to two hours to get through Immigration and to pick up checked luggage. That may seem a bit long, but that's worst case and allows for the long walk to Immigration, a possible wait in line for up to 20 or 30 minutes at the Immigration counter plus maybe another 10 or 15 minutes for your luggage to arrive and the possibility that your plane may be a bit late and you don't actually get off until a half an hour, or so, after the scheduled landing time. I find that it usually takes me almost an hour from the time the plane arrives at the gate until I clear the customs area. And that doesn't include the plane taxiing to the gate, waiting for the door to open and for all those people sitting in front of you to get their luggage out of the overhead. (My best record was about 30 minutes, but that was stretched to just over an hour because the plane was late. Worst case was nearly an hour and a half.) Yes, if everything goes against you, you might have to wait up to two hours for the Bell Bus, but typically I find that I don't have to wait for more than 30 or 40 minutes (and sometimes I just barely make it to the bus on time).

 

O.K., so maybe you can make it to Pattaya just a bit sooner by taking a taxi. But in most cases I'd bet that it would be less than an hour sooner (after risking your life with some of the crazy taxi drivers or getting a driver who doesn't know the way to your hotel and wastes another half hour hunting for it). Is it really worth it to pay an extra 1000 Baht to POSSIBLY get there an hour or so sooner (and maybe no sooner at all)? Maybe so, if you're only going to be there for 3 or 4 days, but most of us are going to be there for at least a couple of weeks or a month or more. So something like an hour doesn't make a lot of difference. (I know you're anxious - so am I.)

 

One more point: If your timing works out so that you have close to a two hour wait for the Bell Bus, there is another bus service, operating from the same counter as Bell Bus, that often has a bus going an hour sooner than the next Bell Bus, and you could probably switch to that one.

 

I guess it's obvious that I'm a big fan of the Bell Bus. But that's only because I've found them to consistently provide excellent and reliable service (right to your hotel door). If you decide to use the Bell Bus, do make sure to make a reservation in advance on their Web Site (www.belltravelservice.com).

 

Bakwan