Top Ten things to know about the Bangkok Skytrain (BTS)

[donim]

15 minutes ago, nikmar said:

...and please take off your backpack. 

Don't turn around suddenly.

[abrahamzvi]

2 hours ago, shady86 said:

3. Beware of gates slamming your balls!

11. Beware of idiots standing and blocking the carriage doors.

12. Beware of doors opening during transit!

13. Carry coins to avoid long queues at stations.

14. Be prepared to get some nasty smell from some commuters.

This is the same situation with most public Transport, including subways or Sky trains, anywhere in the world. Try using the subways in rush hours in London, Paris, New York or Tokyo, and you will say that the sky train or the subway in Bangkok are luxurious and comfortable.

[robblok]

20 minutes ago, murraynz said:

is 'rabbit card' the 150thb DAILY card ??? or is there an weekly/monthly card ??

Rabbit card is just a card you can put money on and then you never need change again. You just top it up once in a while and done. I find it quite useful. 

[madmen]

41 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

 

delete

Edited May 13, 2019 by madmen

[madmen]

43 minutes ago, shady86 said:

I'm a daily user of Bts during rush hours and comparing to subways In Singapore, China and Japan which is cheaper, more efficient and user friendly.

Why compare to the West, they are way behind Asia in terms of connectivity. Always compare to somewhere who is better if you want improvement.

not user friendly.?
 

You swipe your card and board the train. Or did you want staff to hold your hand and walk you up?

Edited May 13, 2019 by madmen

[shady86]

11 minutes ago, madmen said:

not user friendly.?
 

You swipe your card and board the train. Or did you want staff to hold your hand and walk you up?

I don't need to queue to swipe my card and wait for some tourists who dont know whether to tap or insert their card at exits in other countries.

 

Try travel more around the world and see how BTS fare compared to the rest of the world. 

 

[billd766]

5 hours ago, Youlike said:

And to bring your own foldable chair....

 

1 hour ago, essox essox said:

and just where would one "unfold the chair" silly comment.....

 

I think it is a great idea. If you are standing anyway you won't take up much extra room.

 

Perhaps one of these would be a good idea. 

 

You can use it folded up as a walking aid, to sit on when needed and for gently whacking people who get in your way when trying to exit the Skytrain.

[madmen]

2 minutes ago, shady86 said:

I don't need to queue to swipe my card and wait for some tourists who dont know whether to tap or insert their card at exits in other countries.

 

Try travel more around the world and see how BTS fare compared to the rest of the world. 

 

Your very delicate. Que max wait about 2 mins but usually 30 seconds. Ive used public transport everywhere including Asia in my travels over 20 years. if you cant wait 2 mins to swipe then stick to taxis , only takes 1 second to enter.

[Rimmer]

An abusive post has been removed

[kkerry]

1 hour ago, shady86 said:

Try travel more around the world and see how BTS fare compared to the rest of the world. 

 

 

I can only compare Bangkok with rapid transit systems in Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Tokyo, Osaka, London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Brussels, New York, Chicago, DC and Toronto but for me, Bangkok while crowded (just like everywhere else at peak time) is still pretty good so long as you do the sensible thing and use a travel card. Some say people don't line up for trains here but stand on the platforms at Siam or Sukhumvit in peak hour and they certainly do. I've even had visitors comment at how surprised they are on seeing this.

[Patanawet]

3 hours ago, essox essox said:

and just where would one "unfold the chair" silly comment.....

It was a joke! Is your sense of humour implant overdue?

[Lemonltr]

The thing I find most frustrating with the BTS whenever I visit Bangkok is the shortly after 11pm closing time. Surely in a 24 hour major tourist city they could at the very minimum run till 2/3 am. Many Thai people too could get home or near home safer and also avoid the taxi mafia gauntlet. 

[newnative]

Top 10 Things To Know:

 

1.   Your MRT card will not work. NO, you need to have a Rabbit card so you have to carry TWO cards in your wallet and you have to remember which is which and carry the right one. 

2.  NEITHER your Rabbit card NOR your MRT card will work to ride the airport link train.

3.  Trains are crowded all the time because, while Bangkok has grown, the trains have not.

4.  Be prepared to stand as some seats have been removed--the cheap way to add riders without adding rail cars.  Not that you would ever get a seat anyway.

5.  Be prepared for the next likely service enhancement: adding ladders to the side of the rail cars so we can climb up and sit on the roof like they do in India.

6.  Be prepared for a long, un-airconditioned wait for the next train.

7.  Be prepared for a long, un-airconditioned flight of steps up to the platform.

8.  Be prepared for bad connectivity with the MRT system; put on your walking shoes. (And, why isn't there just 1 system serving Bangkok???)

9.  Be prepared for no escalators.

10.  Did I mention the horribly crowded trains with too few rail cars and too infrequent train arrivals--true for MRT, Skytrain, and Airport Link.  We hit the trifecta!

[OneEyedPie]

How long is the validity of a Rabbit Card, please?

 

My wife and I each have a Suica Card for Tokyo which is valid for ten years and great for loading up and using in 7-Eleven, for example.  

[shady86]

2 minutes ago, OneEyedPie said:

How long is the validity of a Rabbit Card, please?

 

My wife and I each have a Suica Card for Tokyo which is valid for ten years and great for loading up and using in 7-Eleven, for example.  

Just pray your money is still there after 6 months of inactivity ????

 

Can't compare to JR ticket machines, they accept coins, cash, credit cards, issue single ticket, one day pass, suica with your name printed, statements and etc, all in one machine since 20 years ago. BTS ticket machine is still running on buttons and only coins. LOL!

[OneEyedPie]

2 minutes ago, shady86 said:

suica with your name printed

Yes, we personalised our cards as one can't reclaim the balance of a Suica Card if it's lost and not personalised.  

[kkerry]

26 minutes ago, OneEyedPie said:

How long is the validity of a Rabbit Card, please?

Card is valid for five years. Stored value amount is valid for two years from the last transaction.

 

28 minutes ago, OneEyedPie said:

My wife and I each have a Suica Card for Tokyo which is valid for ten years and great for loading up and using in 7-Eleven, for example.  

Tokyo is one of the longer lasting cards. I believe for Singapore MRT cards it's five years. Hong Kong Octopus cards are deactivated if not topped up for 1000 days but can be reactivated. Melbourne MYKI cards require replacing after four years. You can use a Rabbit card in many places e.g. McDonalds, coffee shops etc.

[joebrown]

5 hours ago, donim said:

Always called Morchit 2 for the busstation, and so are the busses to the station.

BTS Morchit most call it BTS Jatuchack, even if the name is BTS Mo Chit.

Has to do with the MRT Chatuchak Park which is right under it and the park itself.

Well, thank you for that useful bit of information. All the Bangkok BTS maps show it as Morchit and not Chatuchak. For someone who isn't familiar with local nuances, traveling over 300km by bus, I'll stick with my original opinion that it's mis-named!

[MikeN]

6 hours ago, joebrown said:

Don't make the assumption I did that Morchit Bus Station and Morchit BTS are on the same site. I was nearly late for an important appointment at UK Embassy by thinking I could hop off the bus and quickly step into a train. Morchit BTS is mis-named as the bus station was built first.

Actually, the bus station was originally right where the BTS depot is now, adjacent to the station and the plan was to combine that building with a new bus station, which is probably why they left all that rebar sticking out and slowly rusting away on the roof. The existing Morchit 2 is supposed to be a temporary terminal, so if anything that should have been renamed.

 Last I read was that the bus station should be moving back by 2023 as it is on SRT land which they want to reclaim ...... but I doubt it will happen by then, or at all.

[lamyai3]

15 hours ago, shady86 said:

3. Beware of gates slamming your balls!

This is exactly where they do slam, after a mere 1½ seconds of indecision. Can only have been designed by an angry woman. 

[donim]

8 hours ago, joebrown said:

Well, thank you for that useful bit of information. All the Bangkok BTS maps show it as Morchit and not Chatuchak. For someone who isn't familiar with local nuances, traveling over 300km by bus, I'll stick with my original opinion that it's mis-named!

It is called Morchit on the Bangkok BTS map because the station IS Morchit.

The busstation Morchit is on the groundfloor right under the BTS Morchit, just along the Jatujack park.

The other busstation with busses to the outer provinces is Morchit 2.

 

Just look at it like an Domestic terminal and International terminal at the airport. 

With the ''international busses'' at Morchit 2.

And the busses to northern bangkok (domestic alike), Morchit.

 

The MRT stops at the same location but calls it MRT Jatuchak Park.

 

 

 

[Hanuman2547]

When they first opened the BTS back in the late 90's it was great.  Trains weren't that crowded and you could get right on.  Fast Forward 20 years.  Trains can be very crowded at peak times and often all evening long.

[gk10002000]

17 hours ago, Caldera said:

The BTS used to be great, but now it's an overcrowded mess pretty much all day long. They desperately need to add capacity.

agree.  I used to enjoy a seated ride and tour around the city.  Get on and off a few places.  Enjoyed the view out the window. I thought it was pretty fun to be able to ride all around and across a big city like that and being elevated to have a view most of the time.

[soistalker]

It's nice to see some ordinary light skinned Thais who are orderly and not rude. It gets really tiresome down in Pattaya with all the dark skinned lower class Thais.

I lived in Seoul for many years. The BTS  and MRT are not as efficient in serving the public as the Seoul  subway,  but no one pushes you, pushes you out of their way, bumps you,  and my favourite, coughing in your face in Bangkok. Koreans dont cover their mouths...ever.

Edited May 14, 2019 by soistalker

[brewsterbudgen]

i just got my Rabbit Card and just swipe and go. no lines, no coins.
 
I don't live in Bangkok but I needed this to ride the all important Asok-Nana route.   
 
the new BTS train car was nice. the flatscreen that replaced the old maps over the door can be read across the car.    
 
it was however packed full like prisoners being taken to death camps.   

Asok to Nana is one stop, and a 5 minute walk!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Happystance]

21 hours ago, madmen said:

Lots of stupid farang cant seem to figure out when peak hours are

That would be 7am to 10pm.

[NCC1701A]

6 hours ago, Happystance said:

That would be 7am to 10pm.

i do have to say it was packed on Sunday at 2pm.

[brewsterbudgen]

i do have to say it was packed on Sunday at 2pm.

Sunday is always busy as there are much longer gaps between trains.

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[josephbloggs]

22 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

This is exactly where they do slam, after a mere 1½ seconds of indecision. 

I know you are joking but what decision are you waiting to make?

 

Gates open.  Go through.  

[lamyai3]

5 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

I know you are joking but what decision are you waiting to make?

 

Gates open.  Go through.  

Yes joking ????

However I'd guess it'd be most likely to catch you when you've got your hands full or you're off guard. Examples might be "Can I get through sideways or should I lift my bag over my head?" or "Did that girl going through the other gate just smile at me?" The latter is especially lacking in style and has all the social grace of Rowan Atkinson walking into a lamppost.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by lamyai3