Hop on hop off bus

[georgegeorgia]

I see these big  red double decker buses in every City around the world  and now Pattaya has started one.

 

They are usually aimed at the tourist market though ,I think it's a all day pass 

 

Anyone tried it ?

Cost ? Route ? 

Will it last ? 

I mean who started this bus ,do they think it was a good business idea?

Maybe they are funded by the tourist dept??

 

 

 

[topt]

 

[champers]

Lack of passengers seems to be the main issue according to a couple of YT vlogs I have seen. The cause for that is the 800 Baht ticket price. Ouch!!!

I think charters may be the way forward. Maybe we will see in October when the Chinese come for Golden Week.

 

[georgegeorgia]

2 minutes ago, champers said:

Lack of passengers seems to be the main issue according to a couple of YT vlogs I have seen. The cause for that is the 800 Baht ticket price. Ouch!!!

I think charters may be the way forward. Maybe we will see in October when the Chinese come for Golden Week.

 

800 baht ? Is that a day ?

[champers]

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

800 baht ? Is that a day ?

I believe; at the moment; it covers 2 consecutive days as an introductory special offer. Still pricey.

[Shop mak]

Mostly 0-2 passengers, from my observations.

Don't worry. They will be gone before December.

[champers]

35 minutes ago, Shop mak said:

Mostly 0-2 passengers, from my observations.

Don't worry. They will be gone before December.

I think so too. Maybe try them out in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Phuket. The terrible state of the roads in Pattaya gives them a big handicap to start off with.

[georgegeorgia]

Yes I think Bangkok would of been a better choice ,then again the traffic would be a nightmare !

 

Chiang Mai would of been better too but Pattaya? .

[murraynz]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I see these big  red double decker buses in every City around the world  and now Pattaya has started one.

 

They are usually aimed at the tourist market though ,I think it's a all day pass 

 

Anyone tried it ?

Cost ? Route ? 

Will it last ? 

I mean who started this bus ,do they think it was a good business idea?

Maybe they are funded by the tourist dept??

 

 

 

The hop hop off bus, is a brilliant idea... But too expensive at 800 baht. 

Biggest problem is the traffic jams in Pattaya, due to roadworks

[Henryford]

Look on Youtube, Mr Egg (Le Pub) does a very good video on the bus. He was the only passenger, maybe because of the 800 baht !!

[iaminwa]

Never gonna last at that price, traffic/pollution is too bad for this type of open top service, Baht Bus mafia will shut it down if they drop the prices and it gets popular....another fail.

[Shop mak]

Central Festival Pattaya beach should have been the obvious starting point due to high foot traffic. With aircon waiting room and ticket price

200 for adults and 50 for children.

 

Do anyone on here know where people can jump on the bus, without doing a web search?

 

Not found anything at all in my quick web search 'pattaya tourist bus'

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293919-Activities-c42-t174-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province.html

 

https://www.viator.com/Pattaya-tours/Bus-and-Minivan-Tours/d344-g12-c98

 

I first observed the red bus with 1/3 open roof 2-3 weeks ago. I still haven't seen or read anything about these red buses, except here.

How can they succeed, without better marketing asap?

[blackshadow]

19 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I see these big  red double decker buses in every City around the world  and now Pattaya has started one.

 

They are usually aimed at the tourist market though ,I think it's a all day pass 

 

Anyone tried it ?

Cost ? Route ? 

Will it last ? 

I mean who started this bus ,do they think it was a good business idea?

Maybe they are funded by the tourist dept??

 

 

 

wont last

[actonion]

What  sights are there to  see in Pattaya, ?.............( In the daytime )

[khunjeff]

18 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Yes I think Bangkok would of been a better choice ,then again the traffic would be a nightmare !

 

Chiang Mai would of been better too but Pattaya? .

They already tried Bangkok several years ago with the same issues of a very high price and difficulty getting around due to traffic. According to what I see online, some form of the service is (miraculously) still operating.

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/2020/01/20/review-for-sweat-free-bangkok-sightseeing-consider-hop-on-hop-off-buses/

 

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/elephant-bus-tours-partners-with-city-sightseeing-to-elevate-the-bus-tour-experience-with-open-top-double-deckers-for-the-first-time-in-bangkok/

 

[Jingthing]

It ought to be free.

[Freddy42OZ]

20 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Yes I think Bangkok would of been a better choice ,then again the traffic would be a nightmare !

 

Chiang Mai would of been better too but Pattaya? .

Bangkok already has loads of hop on hop off buses. 

You wait for a bus, it comes and you hop on.  You pay a few baht and then when it gets further along the route near your destination you hop off.  If you want to go back you get the same bus going the other way, hop on, pay a few baht again and get off where you want.  

Bangkok buses are super cheap, many are air-conditioned, some have location tracking so you can use the app to see when the next one will arrive etc  just install the ViaBus app on your phone.   It shows stops, routes, Bus GPS status and more.  

 

[geisha]

Bangkok has some great opportunities for tourists, especially families, The river boats for a start to get to the Grand Palace, flower market , Wat Arun,  I paid a local taxi to drive my nephew and friend around for the day, I made a list, no shopping stops etc, lunch with the boys. They had a great day and cheap too. Free boats to Iconsiam side, free to Asiatique etc.  Pattaya and phuket could learn a bit from Bangkok about attracting tourists. Starting with decent taxi prices. 

[bignok]

On 9/5/2023 at 2:31 PM, champers said:

Lack of passengers seems to be the main issue according to a couple of YT vlogs I have seen. The cause for that is the 800 Baht ticket price. Ouch!!!

I think charters may be the way forward. Maybe we will see in October when the Chinese come for Golden Week.

 

Do you get a whole chicken and Sangsom bottle with it?

[champers]

14 minutes ago, geisha said:

Bangkok has some great opportunities for tourists, especially families, The river boats for a start to get to the Grand Palace, flower market , Wat Arun,  I paid a local taxi to drive my nephew and friend around for the day, I made a list, no shopping stops etc, lunch with the boys. They had a great day and cheap too. Free boats to Iconsiam side, free to Asiatique etc.  Pattaya and phuket could learn a bit from Bangkok about attracting tourists. Starting with decent taxi prices. 

Taxis with working meters would be a good start.

[impulse]

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It ought to be free.

It may be a good idea to make it free for an introductory period.  If they still lack customers, that should stick a fork in it. 

 

(Assuming they make a reasonable marketing effort, which seems to be lacking based on some posts above).

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

It may be a good idea to make it free for an introductory period.  If they still lack customers, that should stick a fork in it. 

 

(Assuming they make a reasonable marketing effort, which seems to be lacking based on some posts above).

I'm assuming the bus goes to more "remote" areas that tourists can't easily get to otherwise. That would deliver paying customers to tourist attractions. Then they could reboard when they're done. The venues and city should pay! Yes, if not used and free, forget about it!

[Skallywag]

 

[Jingthing]

300 baht for Thais!

Foreigners 800.

Leaves a bad taste.

They never learn!

[Shop mak]

Thanks for the video. Reading all comments: 'overpriced and not advertised at all + dual pricing'.

800 was discounted price, ordinary price 1,100

 

I can't imagine many thais want to part with 300 for this service either.

 

Bus starting from side entrance of Central Festival are out of sight of the huge foot traffic on both main entrances on Beach road and 2nd road. 

Let's see what changes they make before November, if any.

 

Good luck, they will need it.

[bignok]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

300 baht for Thais!

Foreigners 800.

Leaves a bad taste.

They never learn!

Bolt is door to door. I never use buses unless no.option.

[georgegeorgia]

800 baht !

That's $32 Australian , just saw the Sydney City  red bus all day is $28 ????

[jacko45k]

22 hours ago, iaminwa said:

Never gonna last at that price, traffic/pollution is too bad for this type of open top service, Baht Bus mafia will shut it down if they drop the prices and it gets popular....another fail.

I don't see the baht bus mafia having much of a concern with this tourist bus..... unlike the transport buses they tried to introduce many years ago. Hardly seems a good decision with current state of Pattaya's roads and how they get on holidays. 

[thoengthaied]

On 9/5/2023 at 4:02 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Yes I think Bangkok would of been a better choice ,then again the traffic would be a nightmare !

 

Chiang Mai would of been better too but Pattaya? .

I think you should OF asked an intelligent friend to proof read your comments here before posting and showing your ignorance.

[Jingthing]

I  can see a market for this here at 300 baht for tourists including Thai tourists to do a familiarization tour but at 800 they've lost the plot.