Bus Travel in Thailand

A Thailand bus will go anywhere and everywhere. They are economical and depending on the type of bus they can be very comfortable. However, schedules for a local Thai bus can be unpredictable. Therefore, bus travel in Thailand may not be your best option. Especially if this is your first trip to Thailand.

Veterans of Thailand and adventurous tourists can use bus travel in Thailand once they learn the ropes, but newcomers should start by sticking to the main bus terminals and government buses. There are large government run buses from the main terminals of the larger cities, and privately operated buses all over. The main terminals have Thailand buses coming and going all day and night. People usually just go down to get a ticket at the time they want to travel. You can carry baggage, which is loaded into the baggage area outside and underneath the bus. You can usually book your bus travel in Thailand at the last minute for a bus leaving soon to/from Bangkok ... but not always, e.g., Friday evening on a three day weekend might pose a problem. I've usually been able to get a bus ticket and get onto a Thailand bus within an hour from/to Bangkok. Travel late at night and travel going between smaller cities is a different story.

In Bangkok, there are three bus terminals:

• Northern provinces - Mo Chit Terminal (reachable by skytrain, too)
• Southeast (e.g., Pattaya) - Ekkamai Terminal (across from Sukhumvit 63) (reachable by skytrain, too)
• South/west - Southern Bus Terminal ("sai tai mai"), in Thonburi

It's advisable to call the bus station with your intended destination to make sure that you are going to the correct bus station, and to check for the day's Thai bus schedule. The english at the government run, large bus terminals is adequate. However, the buses often only have Thai writing on them. Most Thai buses are air conditioned and cheap. Going several hundred miles will cost you just a few hundred baht, including the VIP buses with leg room and reclining seats (similar to airline seats).

There are many places where privately run, small minivan buses serve relatively short hops between cities. These minivan buses usually serve people who have long commutes to and from work rather than tourists, so don't bring anything more than a small backpack. No tickets, of course, first-come-first-serve, and you have to know where to pick them up. Along the main highways, you'll see a lot of open air Thai buses. If you learn to read the Thai writing and can recognize the name of the destination you're going to, then you can wave down these buses and hop in. It's best if you go to what looks like a bus stop area on the highway, e.g., a bunch of people standing around waiting for the bus ... but not absolutely necessary. At small towns, you can grab small van buses and various other transportation to reach practically any small village, especially if you arrive in the daytime. The friendly Thais will usually be able to get you on the right bus.

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