2 minutes ago, moontang said:

Going to Patts in a Mercedes is like using a knife and fork at McDonald's.

Thailand doesn't want bus catchers. They want big spenders as per the recent visa announcements.

Buses are for Thais ... not farang.

12 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Thailand doesn't want bus catchers. They want big spenders as per the recent visa announcements.

Buses are for Thais ... not farang.

The three hour, 44 thb train to hua Hin beats all of it.  10,000 working girls in Patts..how many give a hoot how you got there?  I am in full compliance with the Thai authorities..that certainly doesn't validate most of their warped and irrational ideas.

24 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I didn't realize there were so many cheap charlies and visa free loaders in Thailand.

Just goes to show the government have done their homework. 

Just goes to show, that's all Thailand can attract.   ????

2 minutes ago, moontang said:

The three hour, 44 thb train to hua Hin beats all of it.  10,000 working girls in Patts..how many give a hoot how you got there?  I am in full compliance with the Thai authorities..that certainly doesn't validate most of their warped and irrational ideas.

As I indicated, while I and many appreciate your frugal money spending .... Thailand doesn't want or need you.

The recent announcements only confirm that. 

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

As I indicated, while I and many appreciate your frugal money spending .... Thailand doesn't want or need you.

The recent announcements only confirm that. 

Thailand, as in, the Thai people, need every one and every baht they can get at the moment.  

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Thailand, as in, the Thai people, need every one and every baht they can get at the moment.  

They don't want cheap charlies.  They want wealthy spenders. They don't want bus catchers.

It's the truth whether you like it or not.

5 hours ago, Big Joke said:

I used the Ekkami Pattaya bus on Monday  as my bus to my home town was cancelled. They are leaving every hour on the hour from 0600 to 1900???? Social distance applies so 1 person 2 seats limit to 19 passengers per bus. My bus had 12 passengers.

Wrong....Social distancing on buses is Thailand is not a requirement anymore. I take the bus every weekend. The Bangkok to Pattaya bus is half full because there are no tourists in Thailand that use the bus to go to Pattaya as per covid the buses were full leaving every half an hour.

Just now, nightfox said:

Wrong....Social distancing on buses is Thailand is not a requirement anymore. I take the bus every weekend. The Bangkok to Pattaya bus is half full because there are no tourists in Thailand that use the bus to go to Pattaya as per covid the buses were full leaving every half an hour.

I was wondering about that. I guess I will buy two seats together then.  Just as insurance.  It's a minimal price for comfort.  

6 hours ago, champers said:

Can be and in the specific trip in the OP it is. You should perhaps try the service in question before passing your pre-conceived and false judgement on it.

I used to take the bus from Klong Lan to BKK, about 350 km, quite often. It was about 275 baht one way, took nearly 6 hours with a break in the middle for an early lunch, and a free snack, bottle of water and a coffee.

 

Clean and comfortable with a professional driver and cabin attendant.

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

They don't want cheap charlies.  They want wealthy spenders. They don't want bus catchers.

It's the truth whether you like it or not.

I agree with you, it's what they WANT, but it's not what they have got, nor is it what they are going to get in the future.  

 

The only way Thailand can attract high net worth individuals now is with casinos. 

 

Otherwise, the beaches are filthy, the infrastructure is failing, the nature has been destroyed, scams and corruption are rife etc etc. 

 

In effect, Thailand has devalued its "brand" particularly when it started to target cheap package holiday tourists from emerging economies. 

7 hours ago, steven100 said:

I always get a Limousine hire as it's much more comfortable and not expensive.

A bus I expect would be a hell trip, cramped and stopping every 20 minutes .... no thanks.

you do not know what your talling about......BUSES DO NOT STOP EVERY 20 minutes....where did you get your info from ???????????????????????????????

9 minutes ago, essox essox said:

you do not know what your talling about......BUSES DO NOT STOP EVERY 20 minutes....where did you get your info from ???????????????????????????????

it was called the milk run in the old days .....

5 hours ago, ricklev said:

Excellent!  Thanks.

Yeah just to reiterate the earlier post I used the Pattaya-Ekkamai-Pattaya se4vice the other week and all good, very smooth journey up and down. 

 

You won't struggle for a baht bus around town, their plentiful and generally empty and the lack of other traffic makes everything easier. 

15 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I used to take the bus from Klong Lan to BKK, about 350 km, quite often. It was about 275 baht one way, took nearly 6 hours with a break in the middle for an early lunch, and a free snack, bottle of water and a coffee.

 

Clean and comfortable with a professional driver and cabin attendant.

Up North, the GreenBus uses the 24 seat mercedes vip...used to do it from CM to CR or Mae Sai, and even Kwan Phayao....total comfort...seats bigger than my office chair.

4 hours ago, Leaver said:

Thailand, as in, the Thai people, need every one and every baht they can get at the moment.  

Until recently, I figured a 7-11 would never close down...they were more likely to build another one right across the street, and operate both.... now they are closing down on some of the most prime land in ASEAN.

56 minutes ago, moontang said:

Until recently, I figured a 7-11 would never close down...they were more likely to build another one right across the street, and operate both.... now they are closing down on some of the most prime land in ASEAN.

Though a new one has recently opened on Beach Road between Gullivers and Green Tree. Pretty prime spot.

2 seats. Roly poly

 

 

1 hour ago, moontang said:

Until recently, I figured a 7-11 would never close down...they were more likely to build another one right across the street, and operate both.... now they are closing down on some of the most prime land in ASEAN.

What's that tell you?

55 minutes ago, champers said:

Though a new one has recently opened on Beach Road between Gullivers and Green Tree. Pretty prime spot.

A new beer bar also opened in Soi Made in Thailand during Covid,   ????

46 minutes ago, Leaver said:

A new beer bar also opened in Soi Made in Thailand during Covid,   ????

thanks. and...... how's the bus?

1 minute ago, jastheace said:

thanks. and...... how's the bus?

Doing as well as the new beer bar.  ????

8 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Doing as well as the new beer bar.  ????

great to hear. how about starting a new topic about that? 

before you ask. no. i don't start pointless easy to wander topics. before you ask.....

sorry to hear about yr business btw. i know how it goes.

6 hours ago, essox essox said:

you do not know what your talling about......BUSES DO NOT STOP EVERY 20 minutes....where did you get your info from ???????????????????????????????

 

6 hours ago, steven100 said:

it was called the milk run in the old days .....

At least pre-Covid there were two bus routes from the Ekkamai bus station to Pattaya.

 

One was an "express" (my term) usually (but not always) with a stop at a small bus terminal just before heading out of Bangkok, and maybe a stop or two just before, or just inside of, Pattaya.

 

Then there was the "milk run" bus that made stops "every 20 minutes" or so, and it took a long time to get to Pattaya.  Actually, I think the stops may have been more frequent than every 20 minutes. 

7 hours ago, moontang said:

Until recently, I figured a 7-11 would never close down...they were more likely to build another one right across the street, and operate both.... now they are closing down on some of the most prime land in ASEAN.

Standard OP in Thailand, a new business comes along, it is copied and repeated above and beyond saturation, then a bit of closure and struggling. Massages, coffee shops etc  etc.....

4 hours ago, wpcoe said:

Then there was the "milk run" bus that made stops "every 20 minutes" or so, and it took a long time to get to Pattaya.  Actually, I think the stops may have been more frequent than every 20 minutes.

Then get on the other one.

11 hours ago, Leaver said:

The only way Thailand can attract high net worth individuals now is with casinos

yes ..... I think your correct on that.  They need an international hotel & casino in Pattaya and Bangkok and a few smaller one's at say Hua Hin and Phuket and maybe Chiang Mai.

They must go down this route if they want more money flowing in.

17 hours ago, ricklev said:

Thanks!  Are the baht buses running enough to be useful?  Oh, just realized you don't live in Pattaya...

 Re the original question yes they are. They are running empty without the tourists around and the free flowing traffic means you don't have to wait long for one wherever you are, another plus. I did the Pattaya-Ekkamai-Pattaya service a couple of weeks ago and it was a smooth journey, excellent service. 

20 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I will be getting Mr T’s taxi back, 1,300 as I can’t be bothered getting to Pattaya bus station) 

I have wondered if Mr T is still operating. Always found them reliable. I arrived at BKK some years back and it was chaos. Queues for a taxi numbering 150 plus, snaking around like Disneyworld and not a taxi in sight. 2 hour wait for the bus. Rang Mr T on the off chance that someone was in the area and got lucky. Left BKK under 10 minutes later.

On 9/25/2020 at 12:37 PM, steven100 said:

I always get a Limousine hire as it's much more comfortable and not expensive.

A bus I expect would be a hell trip, cramped and stopping every 20 minutes .... no thanks.

Good job of not addressing OP's question....

50 minutes ago, Emdog said:

Good job of not addressing OP's question....

just offering other comparison modes of travel. Limo is cheap now.