Pattaya And The Baht Buses

For first-time visitors to Pattaya one of the things you'll notice when you arrive are the Baht Buses (Songtaews). They look like pick-up trucks with open sides with a row of seating on either side and dark blue in colour (white in North Pattaya/Sukhumvit area). If you're heading here you may find this information useful and more than likely will help you save money on your transportation costs which you can then spend on some other Pattaya delights.

If you're planning to stay in the Jomtien area or in the proximity of Beach Road in Pattaya, you'll find that many of the hotels are within easy walking distance of the Baht Bus routes. They travel all along the Jomtien Beach Road into Pattaya via Thappraya Road, right down 2nd Road and back up Pattaya Beach Road. They also travel — with less frequency — on South Pattaya Road, Soi Buakhao, Central Pattaya Road, Thepprasit Road and North Pattaya Road as part of their route.

Sometimes it can be a disadvantage if you decide to stay at some of the seaside locations that are outside the baht bus routes if you plan to spend a lot of nights partying in town, be it Walking Street or any of the other entertainment areas. In these situations you'll be confined to using the motorbike taxis or getting someone at reception to call a taxi for you which will add to your holiday costs especially if you have to do this on both legs of the journey every night.

GETTING A BUS

If, for instance you're staying in the Jomtien area and you want to go to the entertainment zone in town, just wave your hand at an approaching Baht Bus to signal it to stop (generally they beep their horns when they see you on the side of the road to alert you to the fact they are available). When it stops just get on. One of the handiest places to get off the bus if you want to explore the entertainment areas is at the junction with South Pattaya Road and 2nd Road. Just press the bell in the back of the bus to let the driver know you want to get off at that location.

This is the important bit — when you approach the driver to pay the fare just hand him the 10 or 20 baht. 10 is the official fare at the moment but handing them 20 won't set you back too much!

The whole point of the matter is not to ask how much, because alas, you might be asked to pay 40 or more! I'm not saying this is always the case but in my own experience from my early visits to Pattaya it was almost always the case.

The fare to continue down 2nd Road right up to Big C, Tiffany's or even around to the Hard Rock Hotel is still only 20 Baht. Again just pay the driver.

You can of course hire a Baht Bus to take you anywhere but make sure to haggle with the driver first to agree a price that sounds reasonable.

Hope the details in this article will help you when you arrive in paradise city.

Submitted by : The Expat, Pattaya
24-Dec-09

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