Public Transportation. How Does It Work?

[theusedversion]

I realize this is probably a silly question but I've never had to use public transportation in my entire life. I'm a smart guy and I'm sure I can figure it out once there but it would be one less thing to worry about if someone would be so kind as to give me a guide to the steps involved.

I'm looking to live close to On-Nut so my form of transportation will be BTS. The BTS site isn't very helpful. I assume getting a SmartPass is the way to go?

Taxis I've got figured out.

Buses, is it a flat-fare and you get off when it comes to your stop? Is there some kind of pass available?

I wouldn't usually worry about things like this but considering that I've never lived in a big city and don't know a single soul there any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sort of off topic, but what do I do if need to get a television or fridge? How do I get it to my apartment?

[setbkk]

BTS: go to a station and look at the signs. It is very idiot-proof, however, that may not be necessarily true in your case.

Buses: Get on and pay your fare. No need to ever get off.

Refrigerator: the only way to get a refrigerator home is to carry it on your back. No company will ever deliver a refrigerator for you, anywhere in the world.

[theusedversion]

BTS: go to a station and look at the signs. It is very idiot-proof, however, that may not be necessarily true in your case.

Buses: Get on and pay your fare. No need to ever get off.

Refrigerator: the only way to get a refrigerator home is to carry it on your back. No company will ever deliver a refrigerator for you, anywhere in the world.

It amazes me the lengths that people go to be <deleted>. Thanks for your valued input setbkk.

[oldgeezer]

BTS: go to a station and look at the signs. It is very idiot-proof, however, that may not be necessarily true in your case.

Buses: Get on and pay your fare. No need to ever get off.

Refrigerator: the only way to get a refrigerator home is to carry it on your back. No company will ever deliver a refrigerator for you, anywhere in the world.

Above is BS.

Buy a smartpass and insert the card. Ride where you want and insert the card when you leave. Fare will be deducted automatically. Easy to ride and station postings and announcements are clear. Be prepared to walk up about 40 feet of stairs at many stations. Excalators are scarce.

Busses: I don't know. Looks to me like the biggest problem is routes and bus numbers. Very cheap and probably worth trying.

Refrigerators: Any large appliance company will deliver. I have bought a very large reefer from power buy, delivered to suburbs. Smaller reefer from home pro, delivered. Furnished an entire house and everything was delivered, set up and verified working. Even bought a large cabinet, which was delivered, assembled at my house and moved to location. Might have to wait 2-3 days but never paid a penny extra for delivery.

Unless you live within easy walking distance of a BTS station, and if more than one travelling, a taxi is cheaper.

Happy traveling.

[theusedversion]

Above is BS.

Buy a smartpass and insert the card. Ride where you want and insert the card when you leave. Fare will be deducted automatically. Easy to ride and station postings and announcements are clear. Be prepared to walk up about 40 feet of stairs at many stations. Excalators are scarce.

Busses: I don't know. Looks to me like the biggest problem is routes and bus numbers. Very cheap and probably worth trying.

Refrigerators: Any large appliance company will deliver. I have bought a very large reefer from power buy, delivered to suburbs. Smaller reefer from home pro, delivered. Furnished an entire house and everything was delivered, set up and verified working. Even bought a large cabinet, which was delivered, assembled at my house and moved to location. Might have to wait 2-3 days but never paid a penny extra for delivery.

Unless you live within easy walking distance of a BTS station, and if more than one travelling, a taxi is cheaper.

Happy traveling.

Thanks for the helpful reply. Will the signs and announcements be in English? Can you get a smartpass at any of the stations?

[thedistillers]

It's very easy to use the BTS and MRT. It's bilingual and yes I'm pretty sure you can get a pass at any station.

[Spaniel]

The buses have various fares. I dont know them all but basicly the non-aircon is a set fare, ie you pay when you get on and can ride as far as you like. For the a/c bus you pay by sector. For instance you get on bus # 501 on Sukhumvit Soi 3. The conductor will ask where you are going and then charge accordingly. I think the maximum fare is around B21. Years ago when I first came to Thailand I used to get on a bus and just ride it to the end of the line to check out its route then just paid another fare to return to my starting point.

When buying a large appliance like a TV or fridge the store will deliver it to your home. I dont think they charge a delivery fee for this service.

[theoldgit]

BTS: go to a station and look at the signs. It is very idiot-proof, however, that may not be necessarily true in your case.

Buses: Get on and pay your fare. No need to ever get off.

Refrigerator: the only way to get a refrigerator home is to carry it on your back. No company will ever deliver a refrigerator for you, anywhere in the world.

It amazes me the lengths that people go to be <deleted>. Thanks for your valued input setbkk.

Par for the course with a few Thai Visa members I'm afraid, you do normally get some decent advice on this forum, but then you get idiots like this, and it's only his second post.

[theoldgit]

Thanks for the helpful reply. Will the signs and announcements be in English? Can you get a smartpass at any of the stations?

The Skytrain is very user friendly, and yes the signs are in English. You can get the smartpasses at any station, you can get the regular pass which just loads the fare and deducts the fare at the standard rate, no cheaper but convienient. If you are going to travel frequently you can get a 30 day pass which you can load with the number of trips you are going to make, these are slightly cheaper. By the way you swipe the smartpass, you only insert the single use tickets.

Never tried the busses, apart from my local one which costs 5.50 Baht, they always look too crowded for me, though I might start as I get more confident.

Agree never had a problem getting large items delivered free, you normally have to draw them a map, even had one item that beat me home.

[JusMe]

Thanks for the helpful reply. Will the signs and announcements be in English? Can you get a smartpass at any of the stations?

The Skytrain is very user friendly, and yes the signs are in English. You can get the smartpasses at any station, you can get the regular pass which just loads the fare and deducts the fare at the standard rate, no cheaper but convienient. If you are going to travel frequently you can get a 30 day pass which you can load with the number of trips you are going to make, these are slightly cheaper. By the way you swipe the smartpass, you only insert the single use tickets.

Never tried the busses, apart from my local one which costs 5.50 Baht, they always look too crowded for me, though I might start as I get more confident.

Agree never had a problem getting large items delivered free, you normally have to draw them a map, even had one item that beat me home.

I'll agree with the ol' guy. Skytrain is very user friendly with lots of English signs, and the ticket people often speak adequate English, too.

Go into the Skytrain station and look at the map showing the two different routes and stations on it. Choose the one you want and note the zone number beside that. Push the zone number on the ticket machine, which will show the fare up to a maximum of 40 baht. The ticket office people are most helpful in ensuring you can have the correct change - either ask for it specifically, or tell them your destination and they'll give you the necessary coins for the ticket machine.

Once you have the ticket issued by the machine, go to the turnstile, insert the ticket (or if you have a smartpass, swipe it across the top of the turnstile) and it will immediately pop up again, so you collect that as the gate opens and away you go. Only problem is putting the ticket in the wrong way - now how many times have I done that!? Hold up a line of people, fumble with it, maybe get the guard to put the ticket in for you, feel like an incompetent child - yup, been there, done that! There is now a little yellow arrow printed on the ticket to help us fumblers.

Buses are easy to use, but routes and route numbers can be incredibly confusing. However, they are cheap. Get on one bus and sit down (if you're lucky); wait for the conductor to come around collecting fares. Here you should know your destination as they often have little or no English. Easiest is, until you learn the exact fare, to give them a bill covering more than enough and accept the change, so you can check what the fare should be. I have never been cheated by them on the Bangkok buses!

Boats are much the same. Sometimes you can get a ticket before getting on, other times the conductor will give you a ticket while you are on the boat and she is ripping the tickets of those who have pre-purchased.

Depending on where you live and the store, delivery is often free or sometimes a small fee. And I have usually had to insist they deliver the next day as I am in the store now and cannot be at home to take delivery immediately!

[theoldgit]

Just be aware of one important thing with the turnstiles on the Skytrain, if you are carrying bags or luggage hold them up as you walk through the turnstiles. If you carry bags in front of you they trip the switch and close the gates pretty quickly - can be pretty painful (spoken with a high pitched voice)

[dddave]

Some buses you might try from On Nut: (Note, all suggested are air-con. but they might also have non-a/c with the same number. "Odd side" refers to the odd numbered soi side of Sukhumvit, even, the even soi side.

#545 (Both yellow and blue a/c) Odd side: follows Sukhumvit thru Udom Suk and Bang Na, crosses the Bang Na-Trat highway and contimues up Sukhumvit in Samat Phrakan to a shopping mall the name of which excapes me.

even side: Down Sukhumvit, turns left at Ekkamai and makes a long route ending up in Nontabury. A full circuit can take 3 hours or more.

#48 (yellow a/c) Odd side: up Sukhumvit same as the #545 but turns left on the highway and goes to CENTRAL BANG NA SHOPPING MALL, then a bit beyond.

Even side: runs straight down Sukhumvit past Nana, Central World, Siam SQ./MBK. I haven't gone beyond that point but it goes on quite a bit further.

#507 (blue a/c) Odd side: Almost the same as #545 but goes further into Samat Phrakhan to the Erewhan Elephant Shrine and the minature Village.

Even side: Sukhumvit to Phra Khanong, left onto Rama-4 which it follows all the way to Hualamphung Station, then thru Yaowarat (Chinatown)and ends up at Sanam Luang, near the Palace.

#511 (all a/c) Odd side Basically the same as #545 and #507..not sure where it terminates.

Even side: Sukhumvit thru Nana, Right at CENTRAL WORLD then left onto Petchabury Rd, Past Pantip Plaza and eventually past BO BAY wholesale market. Not sure from there.

#38 (non-a/c) Odd side Central Bang Na. Even side: Sukhumvit to Asok to Petchabury past Pantip plaza.

#132 (yellow a/c) Odd side: Goes to Secon Square Shopping mall.

A couple of notes concerning buses. They can be VERY slow, only use when you have a lot of time but they can be a really interesting way to get to know the city and it's various areas.

NEVER throw away your ticket receipt until you get off the bus. Inspectors will often get on a bus and check all receipts; if you don't have it, you may have to pay again.

A RED sign in the front window of a bus denotes a route ending somewhere short of the usual destination.

A YELLOW sign denotes an express route. There are others but I don't know them.

If you don't know where to get off, the attendants are very god at telling you. Your first few times, have someone write your destination in Thai.

[jfchandler]

That's a good question by the OP...and probably a lot of folks don't know all the details of the various public transport methods around here...including myself.

Re the BTS and living around On Nut, most of the larger stations have folded, glossy color printed maps in little trays near the ticket counters, free for the taking. Those maps show both the routes and stations of the BTS (Skytrain) and MRT (subway) lines. They also show some of the various major destinations around and along the routes, like shopping centers and such. Get a couple and learn them well.

Re tickets, you can get passes for both the BTS and MRT. The BTS has two kinds: one is basically just a refillable plastic card that you top up with at least 100 baht, and then is debited every time you take a trip. The funds don't expire for a couple years, and the trips are charged as a discount to the cash fare rates. The other pass is a # of trips variety, 20 or 40 or so (one-way) trips per month. Any time you take a trip long or short, one trip is deducted from your card. So, that kind pays if you're going to be making long trips, but not so much for shorter travel on BTS.

If you're living in BKK and expecting to regularly travel on the BTS, it makes no sense or money to pay cash fares trip by trip. Get one or the other of the passes, and then you won't have to wait at line at the counters or ticket machines. Just walk up to the ticket gate and tap your card on the small round magnetic pad on top of the turnstyle, and walk thru... Same on exiting on the way out.

The MRT system has passes, though I'm not familiar with them. But for regular fares, unlike BTS, they use little black plastic coins. When you buy your ticket at the counter or ticket machine, the little black coin will pop out... You walk to the turnstyle and touch the black coin to the display pad, and then the gate will open to let you thru. On the way out, the ticket gates have little coin slots and your drop your black ticket/coin into the slot, and the gate will open to let you out.

Usually at the major intersections and station stops, there are either vest-wearing motorcycle taxi guys or a couple different varieties of public shuttles that take people up and down the major cross streets from the BTS/MRT lines. Some are the pickup trucks (song thaus) with covered seating area in the back that usually follow some kind of fixed route. Some are little box shaped tuk tuks that are available for individual hire, same as the motorcycle guys.

The BTS and MRT lines both typically operate from 6 am to midnight. After that, probably regular sedan taxis are you best bet.

The BTS and MRT systems both have web sites and accounts on Twitter that are at least some what English friendly. Especially at the larger MRT and BTS stations in farang areas, at least some of the staff can speak some English, sometimes very well.

http://www.bts.co.th/en/index.asp

Twitter: @BTS_SkyTrain

http://www.bangkokmetro.co.th/index.aspx?Lang=En

Twitter: @MRT_BMCL

The bus system is a whole nother story... It probably would take a day to explain...

Basically, the buses are grouped by colors... I'll probably make a mistake here, so hopefully someone will correct me if I do.

The buses come in colors of blues, reds, yellows, oranges, pink and greens...

Greens tend to be the older, pirate driver ones that are best to avoid.

Yellows I believe are the express/commuter route lines

Blues and reds are the local lines

I'm not sure which the pinks are, except, they always look VERY old and ratty.

Here's a couple of BMTA web sites with hopefully additional info:

BMTA Bus Info by Line

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/bus_info.php

BMTA Bus Fares Chart

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/services.php

Travel Guide of Bus Route #s Serving Popular Places

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/travel.php

Chaoyphraya River Boats

http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/home/

[Rumblecat]

Yeah, here's the BTS / MRT map. You can switch between them at intersecting stations- just follow the signs for the other line. You'll need to buy a separate ticket if you move from the BTS to MRT. BTS is above ground (skytrain), MRT is your underground system.

Just be aware of one important thing with the turnstiles on the Skytrain, if you are carrying bags or luggage hold them up as you walk through the turnstiles. If you carry bags in front of you they trip the switch and close the gates pretty quickly - can be pretty painful (spoken with a high pitched voice)

Yeah, for the first six months I lived here I had bruises on my thighs from constantly forgetting to carry my bags higher or at least behind me. Even now, when I go through the gates, I sometimes get an involuntary twitch of fear that it's gong to happen again...

[theusedversion]

Thanks guys for all of the replies. I really appreciate it.

[bifftastic]

BTS: go to a station and look at the signs. It is very idiot-proof, however, that may not be necessarily true in your case.

Buses: Get on and pay your fare. No need to ever get off.

Refrigerator: the only way to get a refrigerator home is to carry it on your back. No company will ever deliver a refrigerator for you, anywhere in the world.

I know it's not funny, and the OP does need to know the answers to his questions, but I have to say this reply did make me chuckle.

[Lizard2010]

I also would like to thank all for the replys as i want to do things in Bangkok instead of using Tour Guides.

I guess i will be having fun doing it.

[mysterybkk]

buses are a great way to get around the city, it's my main form of transportation. but from on nut you are pretty well set with the bts and mrt, you can go most places with that, and then taxi should take you the rest of the way. if taxi is no longer a challenge you can try motorbike taxi.

[jfchandler]

How do you navigate/manage the bus system, Mystery?

I know, if you're making a single route/trip repeatedly, that's no problem to handle...

But if you want to go somewhere, trying to figure out which bus goes where can be a bit tough...

And then, in my experience, some numbered buses that have a certain route sometimes don't follow the full route and stop short.... And trying to figure which ones go the full route vs. which ones stop short can be a problem, if you can't read the Thai language signs.

Unfortunately, the bus system doesn't do nearly as a good a job at documenting their routes and activities in English as the BTS and MRT systems do.

That, and, IMHO, there tends to be better eye candy on the BTS vs the buses...

[bkkjames]

How do you navigate/manage the bus system, Mystery?

I know, if you're making a single route/trip repeatedly, that's no problem to handle...

But if you want to go somewhere, trying to figure out which bus goes where can be a bit tough...

And then, in my experience, some numbered buses that have a certain route sometimes don't follow the full route and stop short.... And trying to figure which ones go the full route vs. which ones stop short can be a problem, if you can't read the Thai language signs.

Unfortunately, the bus system doesn't do nearly as a good a job at documenting their routes and activities in English as the BTS and MRT systems do.

That, and, IMHO, there tends to be better eye candy on the BTS vs the buses...

John, don't tell your gal this but if you hang out on the lil green monsters (3.5 baht jobbies), the eye candy falls on top of you naturally. 

[siam2007]

no one mentioned yet that the non-Aircon and the Aircon buses operate a different fare-system.

if on a non-AC-Busm there will be a flat fare and u don't need to tell them your destination. Just hand them the money (10 or 20 Baht, dont bring larger bills), and u will get ur ticket and the change. at the moment the Red busses cost 7 Baht (those are operated by the BMTA) and the blue ones cost 8 Baht (which is called "private operated").

it is a different story on the AC-Buses, cause they operate a zone-system. so u will need to tell them your destination and that can be a tad challenging if you don't know Thai and can not pronounce your destination properly, as 99% of the conductors don't speak a single word (well, maybe a single word such as "okay") of English.

then - nobody mentioned this yet - there are those excellent new PREMIER-Buses. only a couple of routes have been opened yet, but they are VERY comfortable (with TV usually) and the drivers appropriately dressed in a nifty uniform. those buses charge a flat fare (expensive at 25-40 Baht), and you need to provide EXACT CHANGE, as u will need to drop your money into a metal box once you enter the bus. the drivers do not carry any change, in fact they are not in charge of the fares. the box will then be taken by a staff of the operating company at the terminal station.

they have a website where you can see the routes that are running at the moment, new ones to be opened almost every other month. unfortunately, it is in Thai only, except for the route map:

http://www.metrobusbkk.com/route_current.php

to see the map, click on the small banner right of the two small scroll-down menus on the top of the page.

Khun THEUSEDVERSION, if u have arrived in BKK, I can show u around a little and explain how to use public transport, if u want ( in case I am at BKK myself at this time as I spend only an average of 180 days per year here in town)

[jfchandler]

Translate.google.com does a decent job of converting those kinds of Thai language sites into English... as follows....

[Gaccha]

How do you navigate/manage the bus system, Mystery?

I know, if you're making a single route/trip repeatedly, that's no problem to handle...

But if you want to go somewhere, trying to figure out which bus goes where can be a bit tough...

And then, in my experience, some numbered buses that have a certain route sometimes don't follow the full route and stop short.... And trying to figure which ones go the full route vs. which ones stop short can be a problem, if you can't read the Thai language signs.

Unfortunately, the bus system doesn't do nearly as a good a job at documenting their routes and activities in English as the BTS and MRT systems do.

That, and, IMHO, there tends to be better eye candy on the BTS vs the buses...

John, don't tell your gal this but if you hang out on the lil green monsters (3.5 baht jobbies), the eye candy falls on top of you naturally.

Those "lil green monsters" are no longer anywhere visible in Bangkok. They were all on one day suddenly ordered off the road, around a year ago.

[mysterybkk]

How do you navigate/manage the bus system, Mystery?

I know, if you're making a single route/trip repeatedly, that's no problem to handle...

But if you want to go somewhere, trying to figure out which bus goes where can be a bit tough...

And then, in my experience, some numbered buses that have a certain route sometimes don't follow the full route and stop short.... And trying to figure which ones go the full route vs. which ones stop short can be a problem, if you can't read the Thai language signs.

Unfortunately, the bus system doesn't do nearly as a good a job at documenting their routes and activities in English as the BTS and MRT systems do.

That, and, IMHO, there tends to be better eye candy on the BTS vs the buses...

well, i first started out by buying one of the bus maps from asia books. then i just went out there and with some trial and error i got the hang of it. i do have the advantage that i can read thai, so i can see where it stops on that sign hanging on it. i really dislike the open air buses, they tend to be quite crowded and dirty, but for a short trip it's ok. the new yellow ones are quite nice to ride in. the ticket lady is also quite helpful, so that if i am taking a new route, i just ask her to tell me when we arrive. it's never failed so far.