City Buses, Bangkok

1 more image

You may want to try taking the local buses during off-peak hours.

For bus routes, please visit:

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/index.php

For useful bus routes, please visit:

http://travel.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=72&xid=idbox_head64853488_0108

Busses are cheap, but there are different sorts of busses, you have the Air conditioned busses, and you have the open air busses, which are busses without glass in the windows, hence the name ;) The later one is dirt cheap, but the airconditioned ones are not really expencive either.

There are a lot of buses offered in Bangkok going to all places, with a fare starting at 3.5 baht for open air buses. Air-conditioned blue buses have minimum and maximum fares from 8 to 16 baht. Euro II or Orange air-conditioned buses charge 10-20 baht. Air-conditioned microbuses charge a flat fare of 20 baht all routes. For more information call Bangkok Mass Transit Service at 184 or 0-2246-0973.

A buses route map is available at bookshops. A free city map can also be picked up at The Bangkok Tourist Division office, Bangkok Tourist Information Booths throughout Bangkok and the TAT office .

Buses can be seen in most areas of Bangkok, very crowded in peak hours like all other public transport, however they are subject to traffic jams and your 10 minute journey may take an hour during peak traffic hours. We always took the Skytrain this trip, on previous trips we have also used Tuk Tuk and Taxi.
Buses can be airconditioned or not with the fare on airconditioned buses approximately twice the cost, however bus fares are very cheap ranging from 5 to 20 baht.

We call Bus in Bangkok "Rod may" (May is come from Mail) there are 3 or 4 kind of buses.

- Green Mini Bus we call "Mini bus" now the price is raise to 5.50 Baht, but it's still too fast too furious and the ticket boy or girl,in cluding driver are still bad behavier. (5.50 baht nomatter distance)

- Red and white bus we call "Rod May Dang" (6 baht) you may have to wait for long time for this kind of bus.

- Blue and white bus (7 baht)
- Blue and white air bus (from 10 baht depend on the distance)
-Yellow Air Bus we call "Rod Euro" (from 12 baht depend on the distance)

Tip

Don't be afraid to be lost ,just get in the bus and ask the ticket girl or boy or passenger around that the bus is correctly go to your place. If not he will let you get the next bus stop.

Siam Square, MBK etc are the places most people go for shopping.. well.. I am not so keen in shopping.. haha.. but in case you are in that area and wish to go back KhaoSan by bus, well this is the way..

get bus #15 in front of Siam Square.. 4B. It will take you back there..

By the way, before going back, do not forget to try the Hainan Chicken Rice. The shop is 2 minutes walk from the bus station. A basic set cost 30B, the chicken is smooth.. yam yam.. =)

If you are in morchit terminal(northern bus terminal in Bangkok) and wish to get to KhaoSan area, catch bus # 3.

You probably took one of the long distance bus and end-up in Mochit station. Walk down from the bus, you will see one 7-11, walk pass the 7-11, walk pass the toilet, you will see a low of food stalls selling breakfast. Walk pass all the food stalls and here the local bus station. Hop on #3 and it will bring you to Khao San area.

Bus 15 goes from Kao San Road to Siam, Silom, and the Cambodian Embassy. Take this bus also for the Myanmar Embassy.

Bus 53 will take you from Kao San Road to the main train station 'Hua Lamphong'.

Bus 3 will go all the way to Chatuchak (weekend) market from Kao San Road area at Banglumpoo.

From Silom you can take bus 77 to the World Trade Center.

If you see your bus arriving you have to wave your hand, but, please, do it the Thai way: palm of the hand upside-down. If you do it the other way it is regarded as a obscene gesture.

Inside the bus you have to push a button to ring the bell if you want to get off.