Has anyone been charged for taking their bicycle on the train in Thailand?

 

Yesterday three of us went from Udon to Nong Khai on the train. Despite being charged 11 Baht each (and requiring proof of ID) for a computer printed ticket, We were charged an additional 90 Baht each per bicycle.

We were given a hand written luggage receipt for the bicycles, listed as 20 kg of luggage per bicycle.

In the past when taking 23kg suitcases on the train to Bangkok (for an international flight) on three occasions, no one was interested in charging for that.

well the bicycles are taking up space which costs money.  It's not like a suitcase, as some folks carry on board a train and 90 baht is like $3 .....  try doing the same in Australia or the US and see how much it'll cost.   imo

31 minutes ago, steven100 said:

well the bicycles are taking up space which costs money.  It's not like a suitcase, as some folks carry on board a train and 90 baht is like $3 .....  try doing the same in Australia or the US and see how much it'll cost.   imo

Why would it cost 8x more than a person ? ... scam imo, 

5 minutes ago, englishoak said:

Why would it cost 8x more than a person ? ... scam imo, 

ok,  if you feel it's a scam and costs too much then ....  on your bike '  as they say.   LOL

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, steven100 said:

well the bicycles are taking up space which costs money.  It's not like a suitcase, as some folks carry on board a train and 90 baht is like $3 .....  try doing the same in Australia or the US and see how much it'll cost.   imo

That wasn't what I was asking. Seeing as you mention it though, how much does it cost in the UK? It's free and the bicycles go in the guards van.

 

Also yesterday we watched a couple with a kid 'buy' tickets but weren't charged for the kid's bike.

1 minute ago, bluesofa said:

That wasn't what I was asking. Seeing as you mention it though, how much does it cost in the UK? It's free and the bicycles go in the guards van.

 

Also yesterday we watched a couple with a kid 'buy' tickets but weren't charged for the kid's bike.

hmm .... i understand where your coming from. Let me see what it costs in Aussie or US.

THAI RAILWAYS - SRT POLICY :

If you have your own Motorbike or Bicycle and wish to take it with you on the train, You'll have to store it in the 'Freight Carriage'. Thai Railways charges a 'Shipping Charge' for transporting 'Over-Sized' items such as Motorbikes and Bicycles.

 

Couldn't find much on SRT transport of Bicycle's ......  

as usual,  it's very vague and inconclusive of actual cost   ?  

When farangs show up...opportunity abounds!

https://www.thailandtrains.com/carrying-bicycles-on-thailand-trains/

 

Depending on the type of train the charge is 90 to 130 THB per bicycle. Transporting motorbikes on  trains in Thailand costs 1,200 

i'm sure this is just some random charge.   It was negotiable, and will be negotiable the next time.

 

i've been charged zero before, 100 baht before (bike and big bike box) and once around 80 baht I think.  

 

buses are the same:  100, 200, 50, 300, 150......all about the same distance, off-season, and i negotiate every time.  they want 250 and i get it down to 200. is that good?  no, but it tells me it's negotiable.  i had a Thai person negotiate for me once and they got a higher price.    lol.

 

so yea.....who knows.  look, it's at least 50 baht to travel with a bicycle.   sure.  less than $2 USD.   100 seems a little excessive in Thailand.   I think you should have paid about 50 each.  

That's the problems with some farangs.. you should cycle to your destination it's free I think.

6 hours ago, bluesofa said:

We were charged an additional 90 Baht each per bicycle.

what color is your bicycle?

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

what color is your bicycle?

It's blue.
Perhaps it would be cheaper if it was red, like Loso's:

 

Four years ago I transported my bicycle from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the overnight express. It was placed in the freight carriage and the cost was 90฿.

16 hours ago, ChristianBlessing said:

Four years ago I transported my bicycle from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the overnight express. It was placed in the freight carriage and the cost was 90฿.

Same here, two years ago. Mine was in a bike case, so, like oversized baggage. 

On 10/8/2020 at 5:07 AM, englishoak said:

Why would it cost 8x more than a person ? ... scam imo, 

You pay for a seat, in this case most likely the cheapest one, while the bicycle probably goes into the freight carriage. Your budget must be very small if you can't afford ฿90. 

Yep.  That's about normal. 

is normal anywhere in the world, why u cry about nothing no like go back from where u came from

6 hours ago, 1sickpuppy said:

is normal anywhere in the world, why u cry about nothing no like go back from where u came from

Excellent username.

14 hours ago, Max69xl said:

You pay for a seat, in this case most likely the cheapest one, while the bicycle probably goes into the freight carriage. Your budget must be very small if you can't afford ฿90. 

It was the cheapest seat - 3rd Class, as it was the Bangkok- Nong Khai train, therefore the last two stations on the route and the only available option.

There was no freight carriage. The bicycles had to be taken inside the carriage and placed with us.

Having said that, there were three of us and only two other people in the entire carriage allocated on the ticket.

My budget is irrelevant, we paid the 90 Baht. As the OP I was interested if the price was correct.

Although it sounds weird that you would pay more for a bike than for yourself, it happens on short distances. The fees are official and you get a receipt, in sharp contrast to putting a bike on a bus, there the bus driver and his attendant will charge you whatever he thinks you're good for and pocket 100% of it

Trains are a business not a charity supporting bike riders

On 10/8/2020 at 5:07 AM, englishoak said:

Why would it cost 8x more than a person ? ... scam imo, 

Times are tough, monies short so rail employees need to fund the next New Year party

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Trains are a business not a charity supporting bike riders

Business - not in Thailand.

The SRT makes a massive loss every year and the government bail it out - but the loss isn't down to my bicycle though.

 

It's a flat price fee for bikes, scooters etc.  It's the same price if you just travel to the next station or the whole length of the train route.  The longer the distance, the cheaper per KM for the cargo.

 

1 hour ago, Almudena said:

It's a flat price fee for bikes, scooters etc.  It's the same price if you just travel to the next station or the whole length of the train route.  The longer the distance, the cheaper per KM for the cargo.

I should have gone Udon to Nong Khai via Bangkok, then I would have seen it as a bargain price!

I put my bike on the train a couple of times.  Going up to Ayuthaya and also Nong Khai.  The fee was very little.  Maybe 30 baht but this was 20 years ago.

next time, buy your bike an 11 baht seat. ????

26 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

next time, buy your bike an 11 baht seat. ????

Ha ha! I would, but my bike doesn't yet have an ID card needed to buy it a ticket. Thanks for the suggestion.