What Happened To The Pattaya Beach Bus?

[edwardandtubs]

I think they must be having another holiday because I waited at a bus stop for half an hour and saw no yellow or red buses in either direction. This was today (Saturday). Anyway, I found that there are baht buses travelling along Sukhumvit Road - they're pale blue. I got off at Pattaya Nua and took a baht bus to Fascinos ok, but when I tried to get one from Tesco Lotus back to Sukhumvit Road I found there's a rule that you either have to pay 200 baht or be a group of clueless Russians paying 20 baht each to get a baht bus in that direction? I managed to sneak on one and get a free ride for a kilometre before the driver kicked me off and then I stumbled upon the official TAT tourist infomation office. I asked the nice lady about the Pattaya Beach Bus and she gave me the familiar blank expression. "Bus? Yellow Line? Red Line?" didn't help so I gave up. Bus spotting has been quite a fun game over the past two weeks but I'm bored of it now. The Pattaya Beach Bus is definitely not a serious mode of transportation.

[torrenova]

To be profitable and thus to make it worthwhile, they would have to run a service at about 5 minute intervals. Why ? because people are used to the baht bus and they will not wait. One of the advantages of the bus is the air conditioned comfot but people will not wait outside in 40c heat or pouring rain !

I personally do not think it can work. I think you'd need more buses than you can fill for a reliable and complete service. Having a frequency of 20-30 minutes is too long. Perhaps also they could look at bus passes to raise the usage but they would have to increase the service.

[NanLaew]

I would be happy to see the Pattaya bus fleet expanded. There is a need for them and the 3 (?) current routes seem to cover most of the roads that the baht buses avoid. This combined with better advertising of their services and management that seeks bus-side advertising would help them make more money.

But my main satisfaction would be the justification for all those yellow/white dashed kerbstones with signs designated as bus stops that remain mostly empty. For example, that ridiculous stretch of yellow/white kerbing that extends from the corner at the Thai Airways office on Beach Road. The MIB have even tried to wheel clamp me while I was inside taking care of a reservation. Apparently I was occupying the place they wanted to park the pickup they use to haul away all the motorcycles that get pulled off the streets. You seldom see baht buses sitting in these zones; after all, they aren't really buses but work on the hailing principal when not parked up wherever they want, cherry-picking the late night revelers heading home.

I think Pattaya could live with buses, songtaews and meter taxis. Just needs planning coordination and real investment.

[Jingthing]

I think Pattaya could live with buses, songtaews and meter taxis. Just needs planning coordination and real investment.

Yes! A civilized MIX. Exactly.