Sort Out The Transport In Pattaya

[eric1000]

Aircon bus elimination is terrible blight on current administration

Editor:

As a long-stay visitor to Pattaya, let me say how amazed I was to read that the baht bus drivers were “disappointed” at the public response to the city-bus “changeover”. The fact that the city allowed the elimination of the aircon buses is a terrible blight on the current administration.

The aircon buses were utilized for a few important reasons. One, they were air-conditioned with comfortable seats. You weren’t forced to sit on a piece of wood, being bounced around on a truck bed with no shock absorbers.

And you didn’t have so many people on the bus that you could no longer breathe. The other day, a bus driver allowed 18 people to be in his truck bed. Can you imagine how uncomfortable we were?

Two, the staff and drivers didn’t rip you off. You paid your five baht, whether Thai or foreigner, and was given a receipt and a thank you. The current yellow baht bus drivers who took the place of the city bus, kept their same bad habits. They will NOT give proper change back to a foreigner because they believe that the fare should be 10 baht for “us”. And when did one of the yellow baht bus drivers ever “thank” a rider? You are lucky they don’t drive off with your arm still in the window collecting what change they are willing to give you.

By the way, I know you won’t publish it, but my last rip off was this week, bus number 187 would not give me the proper change, forcing me to pay 10 baht instead of 5. And yes, he is one of the new “yellow” bus drivers.

Three, you ALWAYS knew where the aircon busses were going. The yellow baht busses can do anything they want - including becoming a taxi, and take customers up Soi Pattayaland 2. So you can’t be sure where they are going.

If someone wants to go somewhere and will pay, it doesn’t matter who is on the bus already.

I utilized the aircon busses often from Royal Garden to Big C and back. Although I felt they should continually run the route, rather than sitting in queue at city hall, I still felt they ran a good program. The drivers and staff were always courteous.

What amazed me the most about the program was the number of Thai riders. Every bus I took had a substantially larger number of Thai riders than foreigners. Ask around and you will find that the Thais dislike the baht bus system because the drivers treat them even worse than the foreigners.

And finally, baht bus drivers have no room to complain. I watched one driver quote US Military men 100 baht per person to go to a location that should have been 100 baht total. The same day, I couldn’t get any of the five baht bus drivers parked at Royal Garden to take me to the Bangkok Hospital because the standard fare of 100 baht wasn’t enough that day - they were waiting for the “bigger fish”.

As to the complaint telephone number 038 423 554 that you listed in the paper, with the indication to call “any time of the day”, I tried calling on Saturday, May 29, in the afternoon and did not get an answer. I was curious to know whether someone would answer the phone that spoke English.

None of my friends will use the yellow bus any more - it is not worth the time or effort. So congratulations Pattaya, you have again allowed a group of misfits to override the good of the public for the benefit of the few.

Joe from America

Is Pattaya dangerous?

Editor;

In reply to Mark Thomas’s letter, I cannot agree with the editor’s remarks. Pattaya is a very dangerous place - you are liable to get drunk every day, be forced to eat fantastic food - and no doubt someone will steal your heart making you want to return again and again and again!

Alex Pollock

Leicester

[britmaveric]

Most spots in Pattaya should be no more than 10THB a person. Any rate if u don't like their rate then don't step in or better yet take a moped taxi! (quicker and always an adventure)

[highlander]

No need for a theme park in Pattaya whilst we still have motorbike taxi's , white knuckle ride guarenteed every time

[konangrit]

Surely this guy can find something better to do with his time in Pattaya than waste it writing a huge letter about how he got ripped off 5? by some baht bus driver. Amazes me how tight some people get in Thailand that they get so upset over such an insignificant amount of money. Then he has the cheek to complain that their call center closes on a weekend and they probably wont speak what is a foreign language to them anyway.

Edited by moderator

Edited June 6, 2004 by astral

[astral]

I was stuck behind a "Baht bus" yesterday and was able to read the Fare Chart posted in the back.

Minimum fare 30 baht

150 baht for Pattaya to Jomtien??

It claimed these are fares set by the Dept of Transport.

They must be joking, the bus fare from Pattaya to Chonburi Town is only 30 baht

max, 150 baht will get you to Bangkok!!

What a rip off!!

Edited June 10, 2004 by astral

[chanchao]

That was some kind of "group transport" table that you read. Doesn't apply to individual short hops. I never quite understood what that table meant to inform people of anyway. My guess is that in all of the regulatiuons they found some clause on 'group transport' and decided to print stickers and put it in every bus.. It definitely does not apply to typical rides through town where you just pay 5 per person or 10 baht if it's a bit further and you're in a good mood.

Note by the way that 5 baht IS very cheap.. In Chiang Mai it's 10 baht. (Of course it's also more likely that the ride is a bit longer, but still.) And Chiang Mai now has one aircon bus service, also at 10 baht.

While I think the letter writer went a bit overboard with the 'no english speaking staff on their complaint line on weekends' rant, I would agree with him that a fare is a fare; the current situation is not really acceptable for a town that aspires to be(come) a modern beach resort town.

Cheers,

Chanchao