Thailand Travel Information

Bus Travel in Thailand

Buses are by far the most used method of inter-city transportation in Thailand. There are three main types of buses in service.

The cheapest and slowest are the orange colored government buses with no air-conditioning. They stop at every village as well as pick up and drop off people anywhere they would like. This is a great way to see some local color but it is neither speedy nor comfortable.

The blue buses are run by private companies as well as the government. They are air-conditioned, don’t stop as often and are more comfortable. They go to bigger cities. First class blue buses have toilets while the others don’t.

Finally, there are “VIP” buses. They are recommended for longer trips – for example Chiang Mai or Phuket. They are air-conditioned and have more legroom.

The prices are quite reasonable by western standards. Very roughly, you can figure it is about 1 baht per kilometer for a one-way ticket on a VIP bus and about half that for a standard air-conditioned bus.

Bangkok Bus Terminals

Northern & Northeastern Bus Terminal is on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road, not far from Chatuchak Market. Destinations are for all places in the North and Northeast of Thailand.

This includes. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Korat, Khon Kaen, Udorn Thani, Si Saket and Ubon Rachathani. Telephone: 02 936 2852-66, 02 936 3666.

Eastern Bus Terminal is located on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 40 opposite Soi 63 (Ekamai). Destinations in the East include Pattaya and Rayong. Telephone: 02 391 2504, 02 391 8097.

Southern Bus Terminal is located on Borommarat Chonnani Road, approximately 2 km. from the Pinklao Bridge. In addition to the Southern buses (Hua Hin, Phuket), buses bound for Western provinces like Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi leave from here. Telephone: Call 02 391 2504, 02 391 8097.

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