Hat Yai scooter/ car rental issues

[KHY0307]

hello,

may i ask if anyone knows about scooter / car rental infos in Hat Yai city?

i am planing to travel ard the area for one week can scooter rental seems to be a issue in hat yai since its not a very tourist like city?

 

thanks!

[FriendlyFarang]

According to Google there are various shops.

[Stocky]

11 hours ago, KHY0307 said:

can scooter rental seems to be a issue in hat yai since its not a very tourist like city?

Hat Yai's is a 'tourist like' city, just not with western tourists. Plenty of scooter and bike hire places around town, don't ask which as I have no idea, suggest homework with Google and reading reviews. Car hire likewise, from the international companies like Avis, Budget and Sixt etc, to local rent-a-wreck entities. You won't have any issues finding wheels in Hat Yai.

[lopburi3]

As said Hat Yai probably has more tourists per capita than any other city in Thailand.  But they come from Malaysia and Singapore (and mostly on the weekends).   As the city is small most would not require transportation as it is easy to walk (and full of merchandise for sale).

[Stocky]

52 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

As the city is small most would not require transportation as it is easy to walk

Yes, the Hat Yai city centre is fairly compact and easy to walk around, station to Lee Garden, but Hat Yai does sprawl; Hat Yai Nai to the Municipal Park is 8km for example. That said there's plenty of songthaew that'll take you to most parts of the city for 10Bht, plenty of tuk-tuks, and we also have Maxim ride hailing app just started. But if you want to to venture further afield to the mountains or the beach you need a car.

[recom273]

7 hours ago, Stocky said:

Hat Yai's is a 'tourist like' city, just not with western tourists. Plenty of scooter and bike hire places around town, don't ask which as I have no idea, suggest homework with Google and reading reviews. Car hire likewise, from the international companies like Avis, Budget and Sixt etc, to local rent-a-wreck entities. You won't have any issues finding wheels in Hat Yai.

I think the best places to get bike hire is at one of the guest houses, I think Cathay GH on Sai 1 or 2 is now closed, they used to hire bikes, but there are other hostels, the hive or there was another hostel I saw on the quiet backstreets around where homeless is. There were a couple of enterprising people on the local HY fb group that started to hire to teachers, but it was more trouble than it was worth, but might be worth a look on fb.

[brianthainess]

Don't forget to take your Motorbike license, with you they may want a copy. Also don't forget no helmet, drink driving or license = no insurance cover, 

[recom273]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

Don't forget to take your Motorbike license, with you they may want a copy. Also don't forget no helmet, drink driving or license = no insurance cover, 

I doubt they want a copy of your license, lol. 

 

However, this is good advice. In Hat Yai, wear a helmet, its a city, its a relatively easy place to navigate, but there are lots of cars and bikes who all know the roads better than you. The police aren't really out to shake down tourists for money, but they are proactive in getting people to wear helmets within the city limit (in the daytime) and will jump out at traffic lights and fine you.

Edited August 10, 2023 by recom273

[brianthainess]

13 hours ago, recom273 said:

I doubt they want a copy of your license, lol. 

 

However, this is good advice. In Hat Yai, wear a helmet, its a city, its a relatively easy place to navigate, but there are lots of cars and bikes who all know the roads better than you. The police aren't really out to shake down tourists for money, but they are proactive in getting people to wear helmets within the city limit (in the daytime) and will jump out at traffic lights and fine you.

With the clamp down in Pattaya and Phuket of hire shops not checking customers for a license, and having to pay the 2k fine, that could spread to all hire shops or at least make them more cautious.