How's the bus?

[Leaver]

4 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Are you an expert on all things Phuket now as well?

Used to visit there often, and stayed there a while.  The lack of freedom of movement around the island, in regards to land transport, was one of the main reasons I decided on Pattaya.

 

Are you defending the transport system in Phuket?   

[HashBrownHarry]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

Used to visit there often, and stayed there a while.  The lack of freedom of movement around the island, in regards to land transport, was one of the main reasons I decided on Pattaya.

 

Are you defending the transport system in Phuket?   

I lived there for 4 years ( 99-2003 ), i had no issues with transport.

[Leaver]

1 minute ago, HashBrownHarry said:

I lived there for 4 years ( 99-2003 ), i had no issues with transport.

That's around 17 years ago.

 

Geez, do you think the mafia may have upped the ante since then?   ????

 

When I was last there, it was 200 baht just to get into a tuktuk, and the price went up from there.  Given you could rent a motorbike for 200 baht a day, many tourists did, with many ending maimed, or dead.

 

Nothing "World Class" about the public transport in Phuket, except the corruption.   

[HashBrownHarry]

Just now, Leaver said:

That's around 17 years ago.

 

Geez, do you think the mafia may have upped the ante since then?   ????

 

When I was last there, it was 200 baht just to get into a tuktuk, and the price went up from there.  Given you could rent a motorbike for 200 baht a day, many tourists did, with many ending maimed, or dead.

 

Nothing "World Class" about the public transport in Phuket, except the corruption.   

I'm not involved with the mafia operations on Phuket, sorry.

 

I never mentioned "World Class" btw, that was you.

[Leaver]

4 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

I'm not involved with the mafia operations on Phuket, sorry.

 

I never mentioned "World Class" btw, that was you.

if you really can't comment on Phuket transport in recent times, best not to comment at all.  

[HashBrownHarry]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

if you really can't comment on Phuket transport in recent times, best not to comment at all.  

You should open a thread in the Phuket forum should you wish to discuss the transport there.

[Leaver]

8 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

You should open a thread in the Phuket forum should you wish to discuss the transport there.

Phuket transport is a benchmark for Thailand on corruption for transport.  That benchmark can be used to compare transport prices in Pattaya, and elsewhere in Thailand.   

 

Public transport is an essential service.

 

So long as Thailand have the mafia running transport in the major tourist destinations, the tourism industry will suffer. 

 

No wonder the majority of tourists are coming here in coach buses.  One return "meter broken" taxi trip to a tourist attraction here would cost more than their hotel for the night, and some food and beverage. 

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Leaver

[HashBrownHarry]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

Phuket transport is a benchmark for Thailand on corruption for transport.  That benchmark can be used to compare transport prices in Pattaya, and elsewhere in Thailand.   

 

Public transport is n essential service. So long as Thailand have the mafia running transport in the major tourist destinations, the tourism industry will suffer.  No wonder the majority of tourists are coming here in coach buses.  One return broken meter taxi trip to a tourist traction here would cot more than their hotel for the night.   

General Forum perhaps?

[Leaver]

5 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

General Forum perhaps?

Perhaps you can go and start a thread there defending the Phuket public transport system. I will be happy to discuss it with you there.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Leaver

[HashBrownHarry]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

Perhaps you can go and start a thread there defending the Phuket public transport system. 

It was you that brought it up,  not me.

 

Deal with it...

[Leaver]

2 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

It was you that brought it up,  not me.

 

Deal with it...

I suggest you read Post #148 to see who brought it up, and wipe the egg from your face.  ????

[HashBrownHarry]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

I suggest you read Post #148 to see who brought it up, and wipe the egg from your face.  ????

Oh yes, my bad, it's #149 where you claim to be the expert with your short visits to Phuket.

[kingdong]

On 9/26/2020 at 10:00 AM, steven100 said:

or farts constantly

even more of a problem in the enclosed space of a car if the driver starts sneaking them out.

[Leaver]

27 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Oh yes, my bad, it's #149 where you claim to be the expert with your short visits to Phuket.

You only need short visits to Phuket to become an expert on the transport mafia there.  It's a well known rip off on the island. 

 

This one was on TV.  This guy speaks very good Thai.  200 baht for 1 km, back in 2016.  The police made him do a public apology, but his message was already out.

 

Scroll for the clip on this link.  Quite impressive Thai speaking.

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/clip-farang-speaking-adorable-western-accented-thai-goes-viral-video/

 

This was the TV thread.

 

 

If you have anything to suggest fair pricing there, go ahead and post it, but moving back to on topic in Pattaya, many passengers getting of the bus here are ripped off just the same.  

 

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Leaver

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, Leaver said:

If you are defending the situation, perhaps you can can explain how the first person to be dropped off pays the same as the last person to be dropped off, around 30 minutes later, but in close proximity to the first drop off?

That is what baht buses do and have always done. But it would seem better if those going to North Pattaya paid 30 baht, central 40 and South 50 baht. It is a shixxy sevice best suited to back-packers and the young who do not mind discomfort and dragging their cases around for the sake of saving a few coppers.

[Olmate]

28 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

That is what baht buses do and have always done. But it would seem better if those going to North Pattaya paid 30 baht, central 40 and South 50 baht. It is a shixxy sevice best suited to back-packers and the young who do not mind discomfort and dragging their cases around for the sake of saving a few coppers.

Let’s not forget the original comment re price was that it was more than the bus fare bkk Pattaya.....now it seems we’re discussing 30 40 50 baht...according to my friend it’s a rip off!!

[Mike Teavee]

It's always been 50 THB when we use the Baht Bus from Pattaya Bus Station (1st time was about 2.5 years ago, last time was 2 weeks ago) except for the one time going to Jomtien when we were charged 100 THB each (which I thought was fair as we were basically a private hire from Pattaya to Jomtien at that point). 

 

There was a couple on the Baht Bus that were going to Bali Hai pier & they also only paid 50 THB 

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by Mike Teavee

[Rimmer]

Further posts about Phuket will be removed without notice and the poster given a well earned holiday for off topic trolling

[Leaver]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

That is what baht buses do and have always done. But it would seem better if those going to North Pattaya paid 30 baht, central 40 and South 50 baht. It is a shixxy sevice best suited to back-packers and the young who do not mind discomfort and dragging their cases around for the sake of saving a few coppers.

I know the way they work, just posting about my friend's experience, and the experience of the other passengers.  

 

Yes, it's ridiculous there are no proper metered taxis, like in Bangkok, that tourists can use to get to their hotel.  

[jacko45k]

14 hours ago, Leaver said:

Yes, it's ridiculous there are no proper metered taxis, like in Bangkok, that tourists can use to get to their hotel. 

I expect they could book a grab car on their phone?

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/2/2020 at 11:12 PM, Leaver said:

He, and other passengers on the same bus from Bangkok, wanted to go to their hotels and / or condo's. 

 

My friend was staying in a hotel in Central Pattaya.   Sure, it deviates from a baht bus route, but for the people getting off after the first drop off, it's poor service, and basically a rip off.  

It used to be 50 baht to the hotel. In the good old days it was 20 baht.

Those baht buses were a rip off and I used to go stand on the road to catch a passing baht bus for 10 baht to the Dolphin, another 10 baht to near the hotel.

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, Leaver said:

I know the way they work, just posting about my friend's experience, and the experience of the other passengers.  

 

Yes, it's ridiculous there are no proper metered taxis, like in Bangkok, that tourists can use to get to their hotel.  

Bkk is unusual for Thailand, as you no doubt know. The red songtheaws in Chiang Mai are sometimes worse than Pattaya taxis, IMO. 100 baht share from Promenada to Loi Kroh.

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, Olmate said:

Let’s not forget the original comment re price was that it was more than the bus fare bkk Pattaya.....now it seems we’re discussing 30 40 50 baht...according to my friend it’s a rip off!!

Not so much a rip off as a bad service. They cram people in till squashed up. No wonder farang tourists were not going to Pattaya so much.

[kingdong]

11 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It used to be 50 baht to the hotel. In the good old days it was 20 baht.

Those baht buses were a rip off and I used to go stand on the road to catch a passing baht bus for 10 baht to the Dolphin, another 10 baht to near the hotel.

don,t even think about getting a baht bus on koh chang.

Edited October 4, 2020 by kingdong

[kingdong]

the post is supposed to be about bus travel,not a member blowing his trumpet about how he always gets a limousine.

Edited October 4, 2020 by kingdong

[Susco]

11 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It used to be 50 baht to the hotel. In the good old days it was 20 baht.

Those baht buses were a rip off and I used to go stand on the road to catch a passing baht bus for 10 baht to the Dolphin, another 10 baht to near the hotel.

 

So first with the suitcase crossing the median strip to catch a taxi in the right direction, then change to another taxi at the roundabout, who would drop you off NEAR your hotel, so probably another few hundred meter walk with the suitcase to reach the hotel.

 

And all that to save 30 Baht?

 

Times must have been tough for you, and I'm sure you are missed here. I bet you're living the good life wherever you are now.

[Leaver]

13 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I expect they could book a grab car on their phone?

They probably could, but should they have to?  

[Leaver]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Bkk is unusual for Thailand, as you no doubt know. The red songtheaws in Chiang Mai are sometimes worse than Pattaya taxis, IMO. 100 baht share from Promenada to Loi Kroh.

Just seems to be a general mafia thing across Thailand, to control land transport in the tourism industry.  

 

Transport is an essential service.  Similar to electric and water.  

 

Thailand has got away with tourist transport scams all over the country for decades, but the scam can't last forever, especially as competition for the tourist dollar increases in the region.  

 

There's something wrong when a short journey in a tuktuk or taxi that refuses to use the meter is more than the cost of the tourist's hotel for the day.  

[treetops]

4 hours ago, kingdong said:

the post is supposed to be about bus travel,not a member blowing his trumpet about how he always gets a limousine.

 

Nor about the price of a baht bus on Koh Chang. ????

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, Leaver said:

They probably could, but should they have to?  

If there is no provision for a taxi stand there it is simply a choice.