Phuket’s ‘Smart Bus’ service rolls into action

[snoop1130]

Phuket’s ‘Smart Bus’ service rolls into action

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

 

PHUKET:-- The Phuket Smart Bus started rolling from Phuket International Airport on Sunday (April 1), marking the end of the service’s extended trial period and becoming the first public bus service in action along the island’s west coast.

 

The service is operated by Phuket Smart Bus Co Ltd (PKSB), an affiliate of the Phuket City Development Group of companies (PKCD).

 

Formed in 2016 by a consortium of 25 investors, driven by key people from prominent Phuket business families, PKCD at its launch vowed to bring a “Singapore-style” network of buses to Phuket within five years.

 

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-smart-bus-service-rolls-into-action-66631.php#FYljj1hAIiWMrhrr.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-4-3

[the guest]

Let's count the hours long this lasts before busses get burned to the ground, or an angry mob of taxi drivers stop this service.

[stevenl]

22 minutes ago, the guest said:

Let's count the hours long this lasts before busses get burned to the ground, or an angry mob of taxi drivers stop this service.

Yes, a bit of optimism would be too much to ask.

[sebastion]

Let's count the hours long this lasts before busses get burned to the ground, or an angry mob of taxi drivers stop this service.

This happened in the late 90's. Why does it still come up today?
Phuket has progressed since then amd if you read the article properly you'll read that 25 investors from influential Phuket families are involved in this and have a vision.

Once powerful people get involved. Taxi drivers won't dare try.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[NamKangMan]

1 hour ago, sebastion said:

This happened in the late 90's. Why does it still come up today?
Phuket has progressed since then amd if you read the article properly you'll read that 25 investors from influential Phuket families are involved in this and have a vision.

Once powerful people get involved. Taxi drivers won't dare try.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

 

"Phuket has progressed since then" - really????  I don't think so.

 

"you'll read that 25 investors from influential Phuket families are involved" - these are the same people that screwed western tourists for transport for decades.  Right????

 

Now that they are losing money, they want to throw a few crumbs to western tourists in the hope they return to Phuket.

 

It's going to take a lot more than a few of these buses to lure that segment of the market back. 

 

[Psimbo]

3 hours ago, the guest said:

Let's count the hours long this lasts before busses get burned to the ground, or an angry mob of taxi drivers stop this service.

Lets count the seconds before someone mentions an event that happened nearly 20 years ago.

 

Progress, eh- with thinking like yours we'd still be hitting women over the head and dragging them home. Oh, hang on forget I mentioned that bit ........................................... 

 

I'd be willing to guess that 'The Guest' is another who does not reside in Phuket but knows all about life here. Crack on!

 

Edit: I see 'Mr Baht Bus' has posted above but really can't be bothered to open his post and see yet another negative response.

[geriatrickid]

The bus is not allowed to  "station" at the airport, which  makes it difficult to  collect pax.

The proposed  stop locations are not pax friendly and the route  is going to be  very time consuming. Growing pains, yes, but I expect that the tuk tuk mob of Paton/Karon are going to make it an unpleasant experience charging inflated fares totake   pax from the bus to their hotels. I have a hunch we'll see 400 baht  fares.

[sebastion]

 
"Phuket has progressed since then" - really????  I don't think so.
 
"you'll read that 25 investors from influential Phuket families are involved" - these are the same people that screwed western tourists for transport for decades.  Right????
 
Now that they are losing money, they want to throw a few crumbs to western tourists in the hope they return to Phuket.
 
It's going to take a lot more than a few of these buses to lure that segment of the market back. 
 

How do know its the same influential people that run the taxi/tuk tuk cartel?
Why would they rally against their own monopoly?
Please show me something to prove your accusation because i don't think you thought out what you're claiming, as usual.

If you actually clicked the link at the end of the original post you'll see that the airport parking for the bus is being problematic right now so your claims it being the same people are busted.

The people behind the bus have good intentions. They want Phuket to prosper and put their money on the line to make it happen.

You hope this fails so you can come on here and be Mr i told you so.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[schlog]

6 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

The bus is not allowed to  "station" at the airport, which  makes it difficult to  collect pax.

The proposed  stop locations are not pax friendly and the route  is going to be  very time consuming. Growing pains, yes, but I expect that the tuk tuk mob of Paton/Karon are going to make it an unpleasant experience charging inflated fares totake   pax from the bus to their hotels. I have a hunch we'll see 400 baht  fares.

Wow. To criticize stop locations like Jungcylon, Patong Beach Police Box, Kamala Big C, Airport.....you must have a special kind of sun glasses. 

 

Same with the route. E.g. Patong-Surin-Airport is on many parts of the day faster then Patong-Town-Airport.

And yes i know what i'm talking because i drive this routes 4-5times per week.

 

Stops and routes making absolute sense.

[madmitch]

However, Mr Watchara admitted, “The bus stops are not convenient yet because we can only pick up or drop off passengers, then the bus has to leave after a very short waiting time. This is not flexible enough for people who want to use the Smart Bus.
 

I don't quite understand this. Doesn't that happen at bus stops all over the world? 

 

Unless he's talking about the airport, in which case it would be useful to have a proper waiting point. It seems like they haven't even got any proper bus stops allocated there yet.

 

I also wonder (wearing my Blakey hat here!) where the buses reside when not in use. It's not exactly convenient if they have to return to the Homeworks car park every evening. Looking at the map there are currently four buses operating on the route, three parked at Homeworks and two off-route. Perhaps the drivers take the buses home at night!

 

It's early days and I still look at this project with some optimism. One day I might even give it a try!

 

 

[Nurseynutcase]

I have been waiting for this service to happen for 3.5 years, so I hope it is true.

 

My only concern is that it was launched on April 1st???

 

Hmmmm!!!!!

[chub]

Some suggestions for the Smart Bus operator to make the service much more accessible to target users:

1. Establish stops at 1km intervals in each of the beach towns so that users do not have to walk a long distance or take another mode of transport to and from the bus stops.

2. Erect proper bus stops at each stopping place, and use existing shelters now occupied by tuk-tuk drivers. Prohibit parking and display service information (route, timetable, faretable, how to locate buses on the app.) in several languages)

3. Accept cash payment for the 6-month start-up period: the THB500 per person initial charge to board the bus is a big deterrent.  Short stay tourists, especially families, will not be willing to invest so much in local travel.

4. As there are still no bus stops, tourists need help in recognising the bus as it approaches. The current bus livery is anonymous – they look like contract tour buses. The destination display just says ‘Smart Bus’ – not helpful. The main stopping places should be displayed. The front of the bus needs a bright, distinctive paint job. Even the current songtael operators know this!

5. The route is too long causing low frequency and unreliability. The section between Kata and Rawai has severe gradients, higher risk of accidents, and will not generate enough passengers to justify the extra distance and fuel consumption. Cut the route at Kata.

6. The core demand for the route will be the mid-section between Kamala - Patong- Karon- Kata. Operate this as a separate shuttle service on a regular 15-minute headway until at least 11.00 pm, with a flat cash fare.

[zaZa9]

10 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

"Phuket has progressed since then" - really????  I don't think so.

 

"you'll read that 25 investors from influential Phuket families are involved" - these are the same people that screwed western tourists for transport for decades.  Right????

 

Now that they are losing money, they want to throw a few crumbs to western tourists in the hope they return to Phuket.

 

It's going to take a lot more than a few of these buses to lure that segment of the market back. 

 

"Losing money" , who is losing money ?

And what business that is losing money decides to go into throw crumbs instead of picking them up ?

What about you have a visit and take a look?

I hope this service expands exponentially !

[zaZa9]

BTW - is the direct Yellow Airport Bus still running ?

Info is where ?

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, Nurseynutcase said:

I have been waiting for this service to happen for 3.5 years, so I hope it is true.

 

My only concern is that it was launched on April 1st???

 

Hmmmm!!!!!

 

Relaunch 1st April. Initial launch was about 1 March 2018

[saminoz]

Smart buses - dumb drivers

[LivinginKata]

51 minutes ago, zaZa9 said:

BTW - is the direct Yellow Airport Bus still running ?

Info is where ?

 

You talking about the orangish Airport - Phuket Town service, yes it's still running. See it often when I drive out to airport.

[Lupatria]

A 'smart bus system' maintained and operated by (to be polite) not so smart people, is worthless.

[LivinginKata]

59 minutes ago, chub said:

<snip>

3. Accept cash payment for the 6-month start-up period: the THB500 per person initial charge to board the bus is a big deterrent.  Short stay tourists, especially families, will not be willing to invest so much in local travel.

<snip>

 

I did not know about the 500 baht. Must have missed that in the small print.

[geriatrickid]

4 hours ago, schlog said:

Wow. To criticize stop locations like Jungcylon, Patong Beach Police Box, Kamala Big C, Airport.....you must have a special kind of sun glasses. 

 

Same with the route. E.g. Patong-Surin-Airport is on many parts of the day faster then Patong-Town-Airport.

And yes i know what i'm talking because i drive this routes 4-5times per week.

 

Stops and routes making absolute sense.

I am not criticizing the stops, but I do know several of the locations. Jungceylon is a stressful location. The  tuktuk mobsters hang around the place like blood sucking parasites. You have to  navigate your way through the bullying touts to get one of the over priced  tuktuks. Do you know what the tuk tuk fares are around Patong? Do you? Have you ever  experienced the gouging that so many tourists experience? I have a good idea of what will happen; the tourist will take the 150 baht bus ride from the airport. It will take 2X or more longer than a  basic taxi ride. Once the tourist gets to Patong he will  have to take a tuk tuk, where he will be faced with a 300-400+ baht experience.  It is approximately 900-1000 baht now to get to Patong by the gouging taxi or AoT cars. A family of 4  will be worse off with this experience. Even 2 people will be at break even if one considers the time element. The bus may work for the single visitor.

 

Yes, the bus is a start, but the  approach has been less than transparent. Based upon past  activities and the way in which business is conducted on Phuket, it is not unreasonable to be cautious.

[schlog]

51 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

I am not criticizing the stops, but I do know several of the locations. Jungceylon is a stressful location. The  tuktuk mobsters hang around the place like blood sucking parasites. You have to  navigate your way through the bullying touts to get one of the over priced  tuktuks. Do you know what the tuk tuk fares are around Patong? Do you? Have you ever  experienced the gouging that so many tourists experience? I have a good idea of what will happen; the tourist will take the 150 baht bus ride from the airport. It will take 2X or more longer than a  basic taxi ride. Once the tourist gets to Patong he will  have to take a tuk tuk, where he will be faced with a 300-400+ baht experience.  It is approximately 900-1000 baht now to get to Patong by the gouging taxi or AoT cars. A family of 4  will be worse off with this experience. Even 2 people will be at break even if one considers the time element. The bus may work for the single visitor.

 

Yes, the bus is a start, but the  approach has been less than transparent. Based upon past  activities and the way in which business is conducted on Phuket, it is not unreasonable to be cautious.

I'm with you that a family of 4 must be stupid to take the bus.

 

200 baht is the going rate in Patong.

Can't see why a stop in Nanai should be better then at Jungcylon. Why?

Why should this new small bus need double time on this route? You saw the bus in real? I saw it. If you with your taxi are 10 min faster, so what?

 

Many tourists will see the pros of this service. Give it time.

[madmitch]

2 hours ago, chub said:

Some suggestions for the Smart Bus operator to make the service much more accessible to target users:

1. Establish stops at 1km intervals in each of the beach towns so that users do not have to walk a long distance or take another mode of transport to and from the bus stops.

2. Erect proper bus stops at each stopping place, and use existing shelters now occupied by tuk-tuk drivers. Prohibit parking and display service information (route, timetable, faretable, how to locate buses on the app.) in several languages)

3. Accept cash payment for the 6-month start-up period: the THB500 per person initial charge to board the bus is a big deterrent.  Short stay tourists, especially families, will not be willing to invest so much in local travel.

4. As there are still no bus stops, tourists need help in recognising the bus as it approaches. The current bus livery is anonymous – they look like contract tour buses. The destination display just says ‘Smart Bus’ – not helpful. The main stopping places should be displayed. The front of the bus needs a bright, distinctive paint job. Even the current songtael operators know this!

5. The route is too long causing low frequency and unreliability. The section between Kata and Rawai has severe gradients, higher risk of accidents, and will not generate enough passengers to justify the extra distance and fuel consumption. Cut the route at Kata.

6. The core demand for the route will be the mid-section between Kamala - Patong- Karon- Kata. Operate this as a separate shuttle service on a regular 15-minute headway until at least 11.00 pm, with a flat cash fare.

Agree 100% but at the moment I reckon that compromise is the name of the game. You have to start somewhere. Phuket residents and tourists can only hope that in the not too distant future we might have a service approaching what you have suggested. 

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

I am not criticizing the stops, but I do know several of the locations. Jungceylon is a stressful location. The  tuktuk mobsters hang around the place like blood sucking parasites.

I quote only this part, sorry. You are right of course that a bus doesn't make sense for groups of people with luggage.

 

But Jungceylon is perfect for those who want to go, well, to Jungceylon. e.g. someone from Kamala or Karon who can't be bothered with driving himself, finding parking, etc.

 

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

I did not know about the 500 baht. Must have missed that in the small print.

 

Explained in Gazette article ...

 

"You will need to purchase a Rabbit Smartcard to use the bus service. These are sold on the buses. Cards start at 400 baht plus about 100 baht for the card. You can ten top up the card and keep re-using it. You can also buy a Rabbit card at 80 stores around Phuket. The cards also offer a discount program which can be used in over 5,000 participating outlets."

[chub]

Right now there are no buses on the route, (but there's also no published timetable). Bus no's 3, 4 and 7 are on Viset Road off the route, three (no's 5,6 & 8) are on Thepkassattri Road off the route, two are at the Homeworks depot and two are off the system.

Is anyone going to stand at a bus stop and wait for these buses that never come?  

Does this look like a Smart Bus system?

[sebastion]

Right now there are no buses on the route, (but there's also no published timetable). Bus no's 3, 4 and 7 are on Viset Road off the route, three (no's 5,6 & 8) are on Thepkassattri Road off the route, two are at the Homeworks depot and two are off the system.
Is anyone going to stand at a bus stop and wait for these buses that never come?  
Does this look like a Smart Bus system?

People expect this thing to be a roaring success immediately?
This is Thailand. The land of procrastination with opaque rules and regulations.
Thai's aren't immune to the pitfalls of getting a business up and running.

I've seen the buses in action in my travels.
Lot's of things would be happening behind the scenes in regards to suppressing the bus service no doubt.

Thailand does things in baby steps. Always has and always will be that way.

I find the people complaining or wishing it to fail wouldn't use the service anyway.

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[Nurseynutcase]

22 hours ago, arithai12 said:

 

 

But Jungceylon is perfect for those who want to go, well, to Jungceylon. e.g. someone from Kamala or Karon who can't be bothered with driving himself, finding parking, etc.

 

Ok - but what about those of us who are on our own and do not ride a motorbike or drive a car.  It is a mighty long walk from Kata to go and do a bit of shopping.  Tuktuk/taxi costs can be prohibitive for one person.

[zaZa9]

Saw it  pass by in Surin yesterday with maybe 12 on board.

The LED is noticeable!

I think the 500 baht up front is an odd thing to do.

Certainly tourists will think twice about paying 500 baht on the strength it may be used more than once.

And its already been said that for families or groups its not competitive.

But if its finally replacing the old sontaew routes along the coast at a reasonable cost , and "Big Phuketians'  ( meaning it and its drivers  is 'protected' ) are behind it , it cant be a bad thing. 

I'd like to see clearer demarked stops and time tables and more public promotion..

 

[Old Croc]

On ‎4‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 11:02 AM, Nurseynutcase said:

Ok - but what about those of us who are on our own and do not ride a motorbike or drive a car.  It is a mighty long walk from Kata to go and do a bit of shopping.  Tuktuk/taxi costs can be prohibitive for one person.

So how do you do anything now?

It's a bit much to expect a start up, new enterprise to factor in a bus stop at your front door to take you to wherever is convenient.

Hopefully it will prosper and one day become a full service handy to all. Right now it needs support not petty putdowns.

[NanLaew]

On 4/3/2018 at 10:18 PM, sebastion said:

How do know its the same influential people that run the taxi/tuk tuk cartel?
Why would they rally against their own monopoly?
Please show me something to prove your accusation because i don't think you thought out what you're claiming, as usual.

Simple precedent. Look to the other beach resort.

 

The Pattaya baht bus taxi cartel have run the show for over 35 years and in that time have seen off at least 3 well-organized, city endorsed and independently owned ventures in proper public bus transportation.

 

When faced with increasing rancor, the baht bus taxi cartel introduced a fleet of air-conditioned meter taxis. However, the meters are never turned on and it's just a high-end baht bus when it comes to fare barter.

 

It's called controlling the competition, a closed-shop or cartel.

 

When you've been here (there or anywhere) long enough...