Thailand Travel Blog

When you come to Bangkok, it is better to take the right transportation service to save your time and money. There are many transportation services around Bangkok such as regular buses, airconditioned buses, Meter Taxi, BTS Sky Train, Tuk Tuk(Thai trishaw or motor tricycle) and motorcycle taxi.

Motorcycle Taxi
Let me tell you about how my daily life transportation route. In the morning, I choose a motorcycle taxi to take me to the BTS Station. A motorcycle taxi is the best mean of transport to choose when you are in hurry and you cannot find any BTS Sky Train route around. I normally 30 baht from my home to the BTS station. It takes only 5 minutes. The fare varies; it depends on how far your destination is. It is better to ask for the fare first before you take a ride . You should also ask for a spare helmet from the driver. It is ,by law,compulsory for you to wear a safety helmet when you ride or are on a motorcycle in Thailand. The motorcycle taxi can be easily recognized as the driver always wears a orange color vest with a number on the back.

BTS Sky Train
Travelling by BTS Sky Train is the most punctual mean of transport in Bangkok - fast and safe. There are 2 routes of the BTS sky train. Saphan Taksin to National Stadium route and Onn Nuch to Mor Chid station. Both are in the middle of the city. This means you cannot use the sky train outside the centre of Bangkok. I always use the BTS train every morning of the working days. I take only 20 minutes from the first station to my office at Chid Lom station. The fare starts from 10 Baht until 40 Baht. They always have a promotion ticket such as One Day Pass. You can buy a ticket which can be used as much as you can in one day. I don’t know exactly the ticket price. It is around a 100 baht per day. This may be suitable for a budget traveller.

MRT Subway
Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is another fast and reliable way to get across town. The subway start from Hualamphong (near the central railway station) up to Bang Sue in the north. Subways run from 6.00 a.m. to midnight everyday. The subway can connects with the BTS Sky Train at Sala Daeng, Asok, Chatuchak Park station. Subway fares range from 14 THB to 31 THB.

Bus and Airconditioning Bus
Bus is the cheapest way to travel around Bangkok. There are many colors of bus available criss-crossing Bangkok. The Green Bus fare is 3.50 baht a ride , the Blue - Red Bus fare is 3.5 baht and 5 baht. Airconditioned bus fare is between 8 - 16 baht. I advise that you avoid a green bus. This was called mini bus in Thailand. Most drivers of these buses drive recklessly too fast. You can wait for buses and select your preferred routes at any bus station on every main road in Bangkok.

Meter Taxi
Taxi is the most comfortable way to travel around bangkok. But it is also the most expensive way of transportation when compared with regular buses, airconditioned buses, Sky Train or Tuk Tuk.Taxi fare goes by the meter. It starts immediately at Baht 35.-the moment you enter the car. More traffic jam, means more fare by taxi. If you take a taxi from the air port, you have to add another 50 baht to the total final price from your meter for a fee. If you want the taxi to go on the Air Port- Bangkok elevated toll way you need to add another Baht 30.-; and if you want it to go on the Expressway you have to pay another Baht 40.-These are extra charges over and above the normal taxi fare. The taxi fare in Bangkok starts at 35 baht and this will increase by the distance system from the meter. You can recognize a meter taxi easily by the sign board on its top that says ” Taxi Meter”. That’s the right one.

Tuk Tuk
Tuk Tuk is the most popular 3- wheeled taxi in Thailand. Most tuk-tuk color is blue with a contrast with a little yellow. You can call this type of vehicle “Tuk Tuk” or “Sam Lor” that is a Thai word for a three-wheeled vehicle. You have to tell your destination to the driver and ask for a fare. You can have a little bargain on it. Tuk tuk has no meter so it is your chance to make a bargain :D. I recommend you choose Tuk Tuk for a short trip. If you have to take a long trip, try choose a Meter Taxi instead.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 1:30 am and is filed under Bangkok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.