I need to go to Korat after the holidays and have been looking at bus companies. What I'm looking for is quality and safety, so I don't mind paying more if I can get better seats, a sane driver and a bus that is in good technical conditions.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Happy New Year.🙂

Check Nakhonchai Air (NCA), they have a new bus station on Sukhumvit next to Decathlon, goes to Korat apparently

12 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Check Nakhonchai Air (NCA), they have a new bus station on Sukhumvit next to Decathlon, goes to Korat apparently

Thanks!

However even Nakhonchai Air cannot guarantee the quality and safety of the other road users, Good luck

Is there a rail service available ?

10 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Is there a rail service available ?

Not directly..you would have to go to Bangkok first..there is a train from Pattaya to Bangkok.

I would advise taking the coach/bus from NakonChai Air or the one on the opposite side of the Sukhumvit road who I forget the name of ??? ReungReung maybe ?

The big coach drivers are normally very good..nothing like the maniac small white van drivers.

1 minute ago, johng said:

The big coach drivers are normally very good..nothing like the maniac small white van drivers.

Indeed they are but I noticed a dramatic improvement in the way those white vans are driven these days, Nowhere near as bad as they used to be from what I have seen, purely as a fellow road user of course , wild horses could not drag me on to one as a passenger ,

I wonder what caused the change ?

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

I wonder what caused the change ?

I don't really see much change... have not ridden in one for years now.

They stil zig zag all over the road but maybe they are now GPS limited to 80KPH or something.

Doesn't look like Nakhonchaiair go from Pattaya to Korat (buses through Pattaya originate in Rayong) which I'm surprised at so it may be just a website issue. If no luck try 407 Pattana Bus Company located at the Bangchack filling station on Sukhumvit Road just north of Pattaya Klang.

There's also Chan Tours just round the corner heading back to Klang but not sure what routes they serve nowadays.

2 hours ago, treetops said:

Doesn't look like Nakhonchaiair go from Pattaya to Korat (buses through Pattaya originate in Rayong) which I'm surprised at so it may be just a website issue. If no luck try 407 Pattana Bus Company located at the Bangchack filling station on Sukhumvit Road just north of Pattaya Klang.

There's also Chan Tours just round the corner heading back to Klang but not sure what routes they serve nowadays.

actually Rayong make complete sense. 90%+ of the workers in Rayong are from Isaan.

Nakhonchai Air is good although getting to the bus station can be a pain if you have baggage. They most certainly go from Pattaya to Korat, although you will not see booking availability on the website. Listed just from Rayong probably.

There is also a coach company leaves from 3rd Rd on the left just beyond Klang heading to the North.

There is also the option of changing in Bangkok at Moechit but that is a pain, Moechit being big and chaotic. .

14 hours ago, ericthai said:

actually Rayong make complete sense. 90%+ of the workers in Rayong are from Isaan.

Not showing a route to Korat was what I was surprised at, as I'm sure I've seen their buses there, and others have said they ply the route.

1 hour ago, treetops said:

Not showing a route to Korat was what I was surprised at, as I'm sure I've seen their buses there, and others have said they ply the route.

They most certainly go to Korat from and to Pattaya as that bus I will take this coming Tuesday. Their end stop is Rayong.

[email protected]

Their phone number is 1624 and they have I believe English speakers

Booking is very simple over the phone, they send you a link to your phone via SMS then you click on it, fill in the captcha, it shows a QR code which you scan with your phone and pay via Mobile Banking. After payment, you click the same link in the sms and there is your ticket, make screen captures of it and that when you board the bus show it to the attendant.

Ps: Bring warm clothes as NCA loves to set the aircon in their buses rather cold ;😉

17 minutes ago, MJCM said:

Booking is very simple over the phone, they send you a link to your phone via SMS then you click on it, fill in the captcha, it shows a QR code which you scan with your phone and pay via Mobile Banking.

I've nearly always gone to the office to book but it was much more convenient for me at the old location. Not being able to select Pattaya online drove this but calling them seems a good option too.

One time I booked online from Chiang Mai, probably to Bangkok, I recall going to a nearby 711 to pay, probably for a small fee.

I think you have to go to the station on the northbound carriageway for Korat

AKA Nakhon Ratchasima นครราชสีมา

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yW48mAwTtCeMhsta8

if you look on the google map photos there is a poster showing a timetable to Nakhon Ratchasima

but as you say it doesn't show on the website maybe the bus to 'Buri ram' stops on the way.

10 minutes ago, johng said:

. . . . as you say it doesn't show on the website maybe the bus to 'Buri ram' stops on the way.

I think you may have got it, but could be it's the Khon Kaen or Udon Thani route that goes to Korat?

10 minutes ago, treetops said:

but could be it's the Khon Kaen or Udon Thani route that goes to Korat?

Could be who knows T.i.T 😋

On 1/2/2026 at 5:34 AM, treetops said:

Not showing a route to Korat was what I was surprised at, as I'm sure I've seen their buses there, and others have said they ply the route.

OP:

Some years ago (!) I travelled from and returned to Pattaya to Chaiyaphum and Loei on Nakhonchai.

They always stopped at Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) for a lunch / comfort break.

Try redoing your searches using Nakhon Ratchasima as the destination - that is Korat's official name to which @johng alluded.

6 minutes ago, VBF said:

OP:

Some years ago (!) I travelled from and returned to Pattaya to Chaiyaphum and Loei on Nakhonchai.

They always stopped at Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) for a lunch / comfort break.

Try redoing your searches using Nakhon Ratchasima as the destination - that is Korat's official name to which @johng alluded.

I posted all the destinations that can be selected on their website and neither Korat or Nakhon Ratchasima is there when selecting Rayong as the origin. As subsequently discussed it's probably one of the further destinations where it terminates so may need a visit to the office or a phone call to book, or use a third party agent.

On 1/1/2026 at 8:08 AM, Nacho Libre said:

I need to go to Korat after the holidays and have been looking at bus companies. What I'm looking for is quality and safety, so I don't mind paying more if I can get better seats, a sane driver and a bus that is in good technical conditions.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Happy New Year.🙂

The drive sucks, even if you get a good bus. Been doing that trip from Bangkok twice a week for a year and from Pattaya it takes a couple of hours longer to get there. If I was you, I'd get the bus to Bangkok and take the train from there. It takes the same amount of time as a bus from Pattaya to Korat, but the train trip will feel infinitely better...