I was in Jomtien for a quick visit before Songkran and noticed this bus stop sign on Jomtien Second Road near the infamous "Ocean 1 construction site:"

There is a series of numbers in black on the white panel at the bottom of the sign. They would appear to be bus route numbers? Really? Has a bus system with at least nine routes popped up since I lived there a year ago? What are the bus routes?

Good question! I noticed that too. The sign. Not the buses.

Jomtien Beach Road is the only place I see those old Red buses on.

They're for decoration only, just like the old big red bus stop signs around Pattaya, and the 'taxi meter' signs on the taxis and the pedestrian crossings with lights.

A case of somebodys brother winning the contract to supply and install them.

Jomtien Beach Road is the only place I see those old Red buses on.

This isn't about the red buses.

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

As for the sign, it doesn;t really look believable with all those buses scheduled for that one road.

Too bad, as song tows are 80% taxi song tows who ask for for outrageous sums just to go 200m.

The motorbike taxis are just as bad along that road.

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

I've never seen a red bus in 7 years since the route went defunct, same as the other colour routes that were closed down by the baht bus mafia.

Or do you mean the Pattaya Floating Market red line shuttle bus?

They're for decoration only, just like the old big red bus stop signs around Pattaya, and the 'taxi meter' signs on the taxis and the pedestrian crossings with lights.

A case of somebodys brother winning the contract to supply and install them.

You forgot the bath bus marked pickup locations they are painting on the roads everywhere these days,and which are never used by the bath buses.

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

I've never seen a red bus in 7 years since the route went defunct, same as the other colour routes that were closed down by the baht bus mafia.

Or do you mean the Pattaya Floating Market red line shuttle bus?

I think that's what he means. A very small number of daily runs.

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

I've never seen a red bus in 7 years since the route went defunct, same as the other colour routes that were closed down by the baht bus mafia.

Or do you mean the Pattaya Floating Market red line shuttle bus?

I think that's what he means. A very small number of daily runs.

Ah, so that's what they are.

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

I've never seen a red bus in 7 years since the route went defunct, same as the other colour routes that were closed down by the baht bus mafia.

Or do you mean the Pattaya Floating Market red line shuttle bus?

I think that's what he means. A very small number of daily runs.

I'd guess those shuttle buses are operated by the floating market though, not as a 'public service'.

May be for work busses when work on O1 starts?

The red buses are a bit of a joke in any case. I've never seen one with more than two passengers.

The fare is fixed at 20 Baht and it isn't even air conditioned.

In Bankok 14 Baht gets an air conditioned bus.

I've never seen a red bus in 7 years since the route went defunct, same as the other colour routes that were closed down by the baht bus mafia.

Or do you mean the Pattaya Floating Market red line shuttle bus?

I think that's what he means. A very small number of daily runs.

I'd guess those shuttle buses are operated by the floating market though, not as a 'public service'.

Anyone can take them on their route but they are so infrequent they don't really constitute a viable public transport service.

OK, the plot thickens ... maybe.

Also noticed a dedicated newly constructed BUS SHELTER on Jomtien 2nd road between Rompho and Hanuman. Also with the same kind of sign with the multiple bus route numbers. I saw some people sitting on the bench. Have yet to see a BUS that stops there. What's going on?

OK, the plot thickens ... maybe.

Also noticed a dedicated newly constructed BUS SHELTER on Jomtien 2nd road between Rompho and Hanuman. Also with the same kind of sign with the multiple bus route numbers. I saw some people sitting on the bench. Have yet to see a BUS that stops there. What's going on?

It's election time!!!

As thanks for their shelters the Motor Bike Taxi guys will be voting for the Mayor,

Also noticed a dedicated newly constructed BUS SHELTER on Jomtien 2nd road between Rompho and Hanuman. Also with the same kind of sign with the multiple bus route numbers. I saw some people sitting on the bench. Have yet to see a BUS that stops there. What's going on?

Give it a couple of days and those people will have constructed a small house around the bus shelter.

GIve it a few more days and it will be a karaoke bar.

So nobody has a rational explanation? Did someone just make up the bus route numbers? Did they get them from a lottery ticket astrologer?

It seems unlikely that so many numbered buses could appear on that route when currently there are none at all anywhere.

If there really was a plan to have so many bus routes around town I would have expected one of the local papers/TV channels to have got wind of it. The Town Hall isnt usually reticent about infrastructure plans.

It seems unlikely that so many numbered buses could appear on that route when currently there are none at all anywhere.

If there really was a plan to have so many bus routes around town I would have expected one of the local papers/TV channels to have got wind of it. The Town Hall isnt usually reticent about infrastructure plans.

I pretty much agree. Which is why I am starting to feel this is rather bizarre. Perhaps Jomtien is actually a movie set?

It seems unlikely that so many numbered buses could appear on that route when currently there are none at all anywhere.

If there really was a plan to have so many bus routes around town I would have expected one of the local papers/TV channels to have got wind of it. The Town Hall isnt usually reticent about infrastructure plans.

I pretty much agree. Which is why I am starting to feel this is rather bizarre. Perhaps Jomtien is actually a movie set?

A set of The Twighlight Zone most likely.

What do you reckon the crack investigative reporters of Pattaya's world famous English language press have got to say about this?

Someone sit down and wait, photographic evidence of the UF-- uhm bus is needed!

What do you reckon the crack investigative reporters of Pattaya's world famous English language press have got to say about this?

Hmm. When was the last time one of them got on a bus?

What do you reckon the crack investigative reporters of Pattaya's world famous English language press have got to say about this?

Hmm. When was the last time one of them got on a bus?

The point is in a city with a normal press function, this would be a major news story! The story being either a real comprehensive bus system is coming OR there is some kind of bizarre corrupt game where these shelters and signs were installed and never any plans for an actual bus system. Or something else. But now, the public who might care about such things, we are left guessing. What does a press organ have to gain by digging for information here? We know what they have to lose.

How about this for an explanation:

As a part of upgrading Pattaya's image as a modern, cosmopolitan resort city, someone in City Hall returning from vacation overseas said we need to have some structures and signs like they saw all over in sophisticated and chic cities in Europe/America/Japan. Voila! From vacation photos exact replicas were constructed at random locations in Pattaya and Jomtien, complete with signs with numbers copied from the photos.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if those bus route numbers DO match up with some overseas city's transport routes?

I live in Park Lane Condos on Soi Watboon and have seen the red line bus drive down here everyday. I have not seen a bus stop - does anyone know where it is here?? or the timetable?? as it says it goes all the way around to Big C - not sure which 1 and to Central.

Is that the Pattaya Floating Market bus? If so as far as I know it does a circular trip around, leaves every hour or two, stops wherever it/you wants and costs about 20B.