Buses
Orange-coloured
ordinary
buses (
rot thammadaa)
are state-run,
incredibly
inexpensive and
cover most
short-range
routes between
main towns (up
to 150km) very
frequently
during daylight
hours. They can
get very packed
and are usually
quite slow
because they
stop frequently
and often wait
until they have
enough
passengers to
make the journey
worthwhile. The
state-run blue
air-conditioned
buses (
rot air) are
faster and more
comfortable, but
cost up to twice
as much, depart
less frequently,
and don't cover
nearly as many
routes. In a lot
of cases the
misleadingly
named
tour
buses (
rot tua) -
which are
privately owned,
air-conditioned
and ply the most
popular long-distance
routes, with no
tours involved -
operate out of
the government
bus terminals
and are
indistinguishable
from air-conditioned
ones. But some,
such as Nakorn
Chai and Win
Tour, do offer a
distinctly
better service,
with reclining
seats and plenty
of leg room.
However, many
smaller private
tour bus
companies have a
poor reputation
for service and
comfort,
attracting their
customers with
bargain fares
and convenient
timetables.
Travellers have
reported a
frightening lack
of safety
awareness and
occasional
thefts on these
routes, too,
particularly on
the overnight
buses.
Tickets for
all buses can be
bought from the
departure
terminals, but
for ordinary
buses it's
normal to buy
them on board.
Air-conditioned
buses often
operate from a
separate station,
and tickets for
the more popular
routes should be
booked a day in
advance. As a
rough indication
of prices, a
trip from
Bangkok to
Chiang Mai
should cost B307
by state-run air-conditioned
bus, and B600 by
tour bus.
In rural
areas, the bus
network is
supplemented or
replaced by
songthaews ,
open-ended vans
with two facing
benches for
passengers. In
most towns
you'll find the
songthaew "terminal"
near the market;
to pick one up
between
destinations
just flag it
down, and to
indicate to the
driver that you
want to get out,
either shout, or
rap hard with a
coin on the
ceiling. In the
deep south,
share taxis
, often clapped-out
old limos,
connect all the
major towns.
Government-run
air-con
minibuses
are also the
norm on certain
routes in the
deep south and
the central
plains.
Trains
Managed by the
State Railway of
Thailand (SRT),
the rail
network
consists of four
main lines and a
few branch lines,
and is
comfortable and
reasonably fast.
Fares depend on
the class of
seat, whether or
not you want air
conditioning,
and on the speed
of the train.
Hard wooden
third-class
seats cost about
the same as an
ordinary bus
(Bangkok-Chiang
Mai B151); in
second class you
can choose
between
reclining seats
or berths on
long journeys
(Bangkok-Chiang
Mai B321/421);
and in first
class (B1193)
you
automatically
get a private
two-person air-conditioned
compartment. All
long-distance
trains have
dining cars. The
speed
supplements are
as follows:
Special Express
(B70 extra),
Express (B50),
Special Diesel
Railcars (B50)
and Rapid (B30),
and you always
pay extra for
berths.
Advance booking
of at least one
day is strongly
recommended for
second-class and
first-class
seats on all
lengthy journeys,
and for sleepers
needs to be done
as far in
advance as
possible. It
should be
possible to make
bookings at the
station in any
major town. The
SRT publishes
two clear and
fairly accurate
free
timetables
in English; the
best place to
get hold of them
is over the
counter at
Bangkok's
Hualamphong
Station.
Planes
The domestic arm
of Thai Airways
dominates the
internal
flight network
, which extends
to all parts of
the country,
using a total of
22 airports.
Bangkok Airways
plies seven
additional
routes. All
towns served by
an airport have
at least one
Thai Airways
booking office;
reserve early if
possible. To
give an idea of
fares ,
Bangkok to
Chiang Mai costs
$50, Chiang Mai
to Phuket is
$106.
Local
transport and
taxis
Most sizeable
towns have some
fixed-route
transport
network of local
buses,
songthaews or
even longtail
boats, with set
fares and routes,
but not rigid
timetabling; in
most cases
vehicles leave
when they're
full - generally
at ten- or
twenty-minute
intervals during
the busiest time
of day (from
about 6am until
noon) - and then
at least once an
hour until 5pm
or 6pm.
Named after
the noise of its
excruciatingly
un-silenced
engine, the
three-wheeled
open-sided
tuk-tuk is
the classic Thai
vehicle and is
basically a
cheap taxi. They
are fast, fun
and inexpensive:
fares start at
B10 (B20 in
Bangkok)
regardless of
the number of
passengers. With
all the types of
taxi, always
establish the
fare before you
get in. Tuk-tuks
are also
sometimes known
as samlors (literally
"three wheels"),
but the real
samlors are
tricycle
rickshaws
propelled by
pedal power
alone. Samlors
operate pretty
much everywhere,
except in
Bangkok, and
drivers usually
charge a minimum
B10 fee and add
B10 per
kilometre,
possibly more
for a heavy
load. Even
faster and more
precarious than
tuk-tuks,
motorbike taxis
feature both in
big towns and
out-of-the-way
places. Air-conditioned
car taxis
are generally
available only
in the biggest
towns, and
resorts such as
Bangkok and
Phuket have
metered taxis;
the minimum fare
in Bangkok is
B35.
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