Chiang Mai To Udon Thani Bus

[sailaway2000]

Can anyone tell me, please, which bus company is the best for an overnight VIP or First Class to Udon Than from Chiang Mai. Need to do the Visa Run at the end of March and need to prepare now!!!! Or, is anyone actually organizing Visa runs to Vientiane from Chiang Mai?

Thanks

[StevieH]

booth 15 (i think) at arcade bus station runs VIP buses to udon. leave at 8pm and arrive udon about 7am next morning. 600 baht one way, buses are alright if nothing super luxurious and you can buy your ticket on the morning of the day you want to go. be aware that they only seem to do every other day at the minute though, monday, wednesday, friday.

[elektrified]

Do a search in this forum on the subject. The company at Arcade advertises "VIP" buses but as one TV member phrased it, it is more like a "shack on wheels" with very old buses that have broken seats, air-con that does not work, broken toilet, etc. There is a company in town that has true VIP 24 seat, brand new luxury buses but you must book 5 days in advance. I can't think of their name (they are not in Arcade) but I've posted their contact info before.

[canuckamuck]

Truly the VIP bus I took to Udon Thani deserves the shack on wheels description. I took the non VIP on the way there and the VIP on the way back.

Believe it or not the non VIP was nicer and they both arrive at the same time. The VIP bus was especially crappy, and it broke down three times. It also stops about 20 times (unusual for a VIP bus)

The name of the company I used was Chakrapong, or something similar to that. There is another bus line leaving arcade for Udon Thani, I am sure it must be better than Chakrapong.

Edited March 25, 2009 by canuckamuck

[eek]

I think it may have been me that mentioned it was a shack on wheels, and yes, very deserved. Absolutely bloody awful bus! Company is Chakrapong.

Someone mentioned you can get a different bus, from outside the arcade somewhere. But i never did find out who that was with.

I have no idea how they have the bare faced cheek to call it VIP.......

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Would that be Nakhon Chai Air? Their terminal is just behind Arcade. (Same entrance as Arcade, but different building)

(Couldn't find that route on their website though... But did learn they now offer a Chiang Mai - Rayong (and Pattaya, presumably) bus that takes the Tak route.. So that's faster than the other one that stops everywhere. )

[adjan jb]

Do a search in this forum on the subject. The company at Arcade advertises "VIP" buses but as one TV member phrased it, it is more like a "shack on wheels" with very old buses that have broken seats, air-con that does not work, broken toilet, etc. There is a company in town that has true VIP 24 seat, brand new luxury buses but you must book 5 days in advance. I can't think of their name (they are not in Arcade) but I've posted their contact info before.

I did the search. This is what I've found.

eek, yes they do. The "shack on wheels" you refer to was probably the same one I took one time. That is run by Chakapong Company whose office is inside the Arcade Station. They are terrible. Also the driver told my friend that he had been driving 48 hours without sleep! Makes you feel real safe.

We took a very nice VIP bus another time run by a company whose name I can't recall. Their office is somewhere in the city, not inside Arcade. You will have to ask around as I didn't go to pick up the tickets myself.

So does anybody know the name and address of the company that runs the "true VIP 24 seat luxury bus"? Or is it a urban legend?

I might fly to VTE (or take my car). I'm fed up with Cha "Crap" Pong.

Edited March 26, 2009 by adjan jb

[MonsieurHulot]

So does anybody know the name and address of the company that runs the "true VIP 24 seat luxury bus" to Udon Thani?

Bump.

[ASHTONITE]

Hi.

My brother needs to go to VTN .... for visa run. If you are interested in a car pool or travel buddy to share expenses etc... PM me.

[MonsieurHulot]

Hi.

My brother needs to go to VTN .... for visa run. If you are interested in a car pool or travel buddy to share expenses etc... PM me.

I'm not allowed to send PMs. Anyway I won't go to VTE before mid-May.

Unless my family wants to travel with me, I might be interested in a travel buddy (or 2). I'll keep you informed.

[rickthailand]

Truly the VIP bus I took to Udon Thani deserves the shack on wheels description. I took the non VIP on the way there and the VIP on the way back.

Believe it or not the non VIP was nicer and they both arrive at the same time. The VIP bus was especially crappy, and it broke down three times. It also stops about 20 times (unusual for a VIP bus)

The name of the company I used was Chakrapong, or something similar to that. There is another bus line leaving arcade for Udon Thani, I am sure it must be better than Chakrapong.

there are 2 bus companys that do vip busses from chiang mai to Udon. they go on alternating days one is the chakapong one(horrible) but next to their small window (on the right side) in arcade bus station is another company this is the company that has the nice blue new vip busses with the good driver. this month chakapong does the vip service on even days and the other one on odd days the other company has thai letters on its window the company name starts with ooo something (sorry cant remember)

rick

[rickthailand]

i found the companies name it is osuksatour

rick

[HTWoodson]

Topic discussed on this thread already.

[orang37]

Topic discussed on this thread already.

Hi Khun HT,

I do remember your excellent write-up of what you found, on that thread, now that you mention it.

I am curious to ask you, now that you made trip, how were the Susaka company buses ?

I must have gone on Chakrapong because I was upstairs on a double-decker and it was cramped and they wouldn't let me store my travel guitar ( in the side of the bus : and there was no overhead storage), so I had to ride with it between my legs the whole way.

thanks ~o:37;

[Tilokarat]

This post is not going to be much help other than to add a comment about the experience of riding a bus from Chiang Mai to Udonthani in August 2007. I went to the big bus terminal and ended up on one of those buses with an orange colour.

I do not remember much of the trip because I slept through most of it. With the exception of me, everyone was Thai. First, I sat with a woman and her child that was crying for the first ten minutes or so. She got off around Phitsanuloke. This, I think, was our pit stop. Then a number of soldiers got on and one sat beside me. I have no idea when he got off.

I ended up in Udonthani the next morning none the worse for wear. At this point, a tuk-tuk driver tried to charge me an outrageous price to go to the Karin Hotel so I took a samlor for 40 baht or so.

Actually, this adds nothing...just try sleeping on the bus. 55555

[HTWoodson]

Topic discussed on this thread already.

Hi Khun HT,

I do remember your excellent write-up of what you found, on that thread, now that you mention it.

I am curious to ask you, now that you made trip, how were the Susaka company buses ?

I must have gone on Chakrapong because I was upstairs on a double-decker and it was cramped and they wouldn't let me store my travel guitar ( in the side of the bus : and there was no overhead storage), so I had to ride with it between my legs the whole way.

thanks ~o:37;

I ended up going with Chakrapong, both to and from. Just a matter of what day I went, didn't pick that company for any other reason. I'm pretty sure that Suksaa tour is identical to Chackrapong.

The bus was pretty lousy actually. I wouldn't have called it "VIP", more like 2nd class buses with some other companies. They bus was really old and the seats were not very comfortable. Like you said, there was no overhead storage. There is no movie. The aircon vents above our seats were missing the little "fins" that allow you to deflect the breeze or turn it off, so were had ice cold air blown on us all night. I stuffed garbage up into the hole to try and make it stop. The toilet was a metal bowl and a bucket of water, Thai style. The bus left at 8pm, I pulled out my book to start reading, and at 8:15 they turned the lights off. The overhead lights were disconnected.

The "VIP" bus was the 32 seater, but I saw Chakrapong's 1st class bus, and even though it is the 42 seat bus, I'll probably take it next time because it was brand new.

On the Sombat Tour buses, you have a cute Thai girl in a hostes outfit walking up and down the aisle bringing you blankets and drinks. On this bus the attendant was a 20 something guy who sat down in the asile, leaned up against my leg and went to sleep. (I was in the front row)

I wasn't as bad as some buses I've been on, but it does piss me off a little that they charge as much as some of the nicer companies like Sombat, call it VIP, and then give you a very 2nd class bus.

[elektrified]

Do a search in this forum on the subject. The company at Arcade advertises "VIP" buses but as one TV member phrased it, it is more like a "shack on wheels" with very old buses that have broken seats, air-con that does not work, broken toilet, etc. There is a company in town that has true VIP 24 seat, brand new luxury buses but you must book 5 days in advance. I can't think of their name (they are not in Arcade) but I've posted their contact info before.

I did the search. This is what I've found.

eek, yes they do. The "shack on wheels" you refer to was probably the same one I took one time. That is run by Chakapong Company whose office is inside the Arcade Station. They are terrible. Also the driver told my friend that he had been driving 48 hours without sleep! Makes you feel real safe.

We took a very nice VIP bus another time run by a company whose name I can't recall. Their office is somewhere in the city, not inside Arcade. You will have to ask around as I didn't go to pick up the tickets myself.

So does anybody know the name and address of the company that runs the "true VIP 24 seat luxury bus"? Or is it a urban legend?

I might fly to VTE (or take my car). I'm fed up with Cha "Crap" Pong.

It is not an urban legend because we took a very nice VIP bus to Udon Thani last year. I just don't have the contact info for the company anymore. I thought I had posted it before but apparently I posted the contact info for the VIP bus company returning from UT to CM. All I remember is that we had to buy the tickets about five days in advance; there was only 1 bus per week, and we were given a little map of where to board the bus which was somewhere off of the Chiang Mai Lamphun Road. I was the only farang on the bus. Another member has posted the name of another company in another thread that also has true VIP buses and has an office in Arcade, so you might do a search in this forum for their contact info.