Bts Direction Of Travel

[ianh68]

I live some ways out of Bangkok and only occasionally visit so tend to buy BTS tickets on the day that I need them. Suppose I want to travel from Victory Monument to Asok and back. I'm at Victory mid morning and it's quiet. I know I am coming back in the rush hour and there will be big queues at the ticket machines at Asok. If I buy two tickets to Asok at Victory Monument will I be able to use the second one to make the return journey, i.e. does it matter where you buy a ticket as long as the amount paid is correct?

Regardless of whether I have any kind of season ticket, I need to know this so that I can guide the occasional visiting family member round Bangkok.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

My understanding is the purchase location doesn't matter, and the time limit starts from when you enter the system, not when you buy the ticket, but you may need to be careful to use it the same day.

Ask at the counter why don't you?

[MahaYellow]

Asking at the ticket counter gets you the correct up-to-date answer.

Asking at TV sometimes gets you queer answers.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

ianh68 said: "I live some ways out of Bangkok and only occasionally visit so tend to buy BTS tickets on the day that I need them."

Hmmmm, well, me, too, live outside Bangkok some ways. For me it's still 25 km to Future Park Rangsit. And I also tend to avoid traveling downtown.

But, I sure find it handy to have one or two of the BTS pre-paid cards available. Bypass the ticket machine lines, bypass the windows, just slap it down on the BTS barrier and move on. When funds get low, top up another baht 100. It's worth the "investment" even if I don't use it often, don't loose much interest on the funds as they don't earn much in the bank here anyway.

Just be careful NOT to get one of the baht 100 BTS "Day Passes." One way to avoid it is to start off with a baht 200 card.

Mac

[dantilley]

Ask at the counter why don't you?

Would be a bit wary of doing that, there's a good chance they won't understand what you mean as I doubt it's something they've been asked about before.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect App

[StreetCowboy]

As others have aid - buy a pre-paid card. WHen visitors are coming, top it up with plenty and they never need to worry about queuing for tickets or top-up

SC

[Crossy]

Single ride tickets are only valid on day of issue but that should not be an issue for our OP. However on most metros they are also only valid for travel from the station of purchase. I'm not sure about the BTS but since the system was installed by one of the big names (Cubic and then updated by Singapore Technologies) I see no reason why it should be any different.

As others have notes, a stored value card is a good investment even if you only travel occasionally. If you get the new 'Rabbit' card it should be valid on the MRT too (from December this year).

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Note that the funds you deposit into the Rabbit card for travel are only there for 30 days, then they disappear and the card is only worth the 50 baht deposit.

Use it or you lose it.

I suspect the same isn't true for funds available for use in restaurants etc, haven't tried it for that.

[ianh68]

Note that the funds you deposit into the Rabbit card for travel are only there for 30 days, then they disappear and the card is only worth the 50 baht deposit.

Use it or you lose it.

I suspect the same isn't true for funds available for use in restaurants etc, haven't tried it for that.

I went for a new Stored Value Rabbit Card - very useful. Card is valid for 5 years and any money you put on it is valid for two years.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I went for a new Stored Value Rabbit Card - very useful. Card is valid for 5 years and any money you put on it is valid for two years.

Is this different from the regular Rabbit card you get by default at the BTS ticket window?

100% sure that there was no way I could extend the validity of the money I paid for BTS travel past their 30-day limit, topping it up only started the ticker counting on the new money, the original amount was gone forever.

It still worked out cheaper than pay-as-you-go when I had a certain set of gigs, but realized I preferred travelling on the river ferry whenever possible so have gone back to PAYG for the BTS.

[isawasnake]

Well, i'm sure ian up there was talking about stored funds for the extension. That money will stay on there; you can put up to 4000 baht.

The whole purpose of the change from the old cards to the new rabbit cards was to hold both trips (eg 1 trip on nut to siam) AND "money", which would cost 15 baht anywhere in the extension.

Not sure if I am telling people what they already knew, but I do feel the extension costs are way out of line. They have essentially set up an entirely different business with its independent profits, all under the BTS banner. Plus, the ridiculousness of going mo chit to on nut for 1 trip (=20 baht), but if you had to go one more stop to bang chak that would be 1 trip (20 baht) plus 15 baht.... so 35 baht to go mo chi to bang chak. Very aggrivating, oh well.

Edited November 14, 2012 by isawasnake

[SeaVisionBurma]

Rabbit card website

Very useful. As Crossy mentioned above, will be useable on the MRT from late this year.

Available at any BTS station.

[Jdietz]

I seriously doubt your single trip card bought at A will be accepted at B, however, nothing will prevent you going to B and on that station (Asok in your case) buy the return in advance (same day use). If you have enough change in advance you will only have to queue up at the ticket machine to do this.

[mogandave]

I like the pre-paid card, but if you have more than a few places to go, the one-day passes are great as well.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I like the pre-paid card, but if you have more than a few places to go, the one-day passes are great as well.

Keep meaning to find out about these. How much do they cost? Are they available through the ticket machine, or is it something you buy from the counter? I have visitors arriving to BKK every now and then for a day or two - might be useful.

[Jdietz]

Available from ticket counter:

One-day Pass

Unlimited travel within the duration of a single day for 130 baht.

Standard Rabbit Card / Stored Value Cards

These are available for 100 baht plus 50 baht refundable deposit. The Standard Rabbit Cards are valid for 5 years and can be filled with a minimum of 100 baht and up to 4,000 baht.

30-Day Pass for Adults

- For 15 trips (use within 30 days), 25 baht per trip unlimited distance, it costs 375 baht.

- For 25 trips (use within 30 days), 23 baht per trip unlimited distance, it costs 575 baht.

- For 40 trips (use within 30 days), 21 baht per trip unlimited distance, it costs 840 baht.

- For 50 trips (use within 30 days), 20 baht per trip unlimited distance, it costs 1,000 baht.

Note that a Rabbit card can store trips as well as balance. If trips are available they will be used first. For the Skytrain Extension past On-Nut to Bearing Balance will be used up. (So if you have travel Siam-Bearing and have trips available you will use up 1 trip AND 15 Baht. If you only have balance you will use up 55 Baht)

Edited for new pricing and fonts/readability

Edited November 14, 2012 by Jdietz

[SeaVisionBurma]

Thanks Jdietz!

[lomatopo]

Note that the funds you deposit into the Rabbit card for travel are only there for 30 days, then they disappear and the card is only worth the 50 baht deposit.

Use it or you lose it.

I suspect the same isn't true for funds available for use in restaurants etc, haven't tried it for that.

I suspect you are confusing a ride/trip card with a stored value card?

Ride cards are good for 30 days, stored value cards are good for five (5) years. It might be best for the OP to buy a stored value Rabbit card. Or just buy your return card at Asoke just after you clear the turnstile in-bound, it will be good for laterr in the day.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bts.co.th%2Fcustomer%2Fen%2Fpdf%2FTicketMenu.pdf

[BigJohnnyBKK]

IOW you only actually save money with the "trips" which expire in 30 days, using the "money balance" is at full price, so only a saving if you're frequent.

Convenient for not-poor people who don't want to stand in the queue too I suppose.

I'll stick to the boat, much more relaxing and in many cases actually faster for where I usually go these days. . .

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I suspect you are confusing a ride/trip card with a stored value card?

Nope, looks like they've combined the two concepts into two separate "compartments" in the Rabbit card, see above three posts for details.

[lomatopo]

I suspect you are confusing a ride/trip card with a stored value card?

Nope, looks like they've combined the two concepts into two separate "compartments" in the Rabbit card, see above three posts for details.

Again, I think you are confused, and perhaps confusing others.

A Rabbit stored value card has a five year validity.

A 30-day Rabbit Ride card is good for, wait for it, 30 days.

Standard Rabbit Card / Stored Value Cards

These are available for 100 baht plus 50 baht refundable deposit. The Standard Rabbit Cards are valid for 5 years and can be filled with a minimum of 100 baht and up to 4,000 baht.

This paragraph, which I suspect is confusing you:

Note that a Rabbit card can store trips as well as balance. If trips are available they will be used first. For the Skytrain Extension past On-Nut to Bearing Balance will be used up. (So if you have travel Siam-Bearing and have trips available you will use up 1 trip AND 15 Baht. If you only have balance you will use up 55 Baht)

refers to the 30-Day Pass for Adults, and not the stored value card.

Edited November 14, 2012 by lomatopo

[BigJohnnyBKK]

This paragraph, which I suspect is confusing you:

Note that a Rabbit card can store trips as well as balance. If trips are available they will be used first. For the Skytrain Extension past On-Nut to Bearing Balance will be used up. (So if you have travel Siam-Bearing and have trips available you will use up 1 trip AND 15 Baht. If you only have balance you will use up 55 Baht)

refers to the 30-Day Pass for Adults, and not the stored value card.

Well thanks for your attempts to help me understand.

To clarify I'm only talking about the Rabbit card, and for the moment let's set aside the issue of how long the card itself is valid. And, my only objective is to save money on the fares compared to using cash, no interest in using it for anything but that.

Is there a way for me to keep money spent for that purpose long-term?

Say I leave Bangkok for a few months and come back, do I still have my cheap trips available?

If not, then none of the rest is of any interest to me.

[isawasnake]

Well, you can't do anything but pay full price within the extension. It is much nicer with a card though, as it is the same price and you don't have to stop. Anyway..... what ALWAYS amazes me about these discussions is the lack of outrage for the fare increase in the extension. If you simply placed the same pricing scheme somewhere in the middle of the BTS route (say siam to Askoe), people woild be screaming bloody murder on here everyday. Since farang don't go past on nut however, it is a non issue. Woes me I guess. It wouldn't matter if a bunch of farang did complain anyway.

[mogandave]

Note that the funds you deposit into the Rabbit card for travel are only there for 30 days, then they disappear and the card is only worth the 50 baht deposit.

Use it or you lose it.

I suspect the same isn't true for funds available for use in restaurants etc, haven't tried it for that.

Indeed

[isawasnake]

I suspect you are confusing a ride/trip card with a stored value card?

Nope, looks like they've combined the two concepts into two separate "compartments" in the Rabbit card, see above three posts for details.

They have also compartmentalized profits. Being in Thailand, they probably could not come to an understanding, and decided to almost double the cost. If more people understood this it would be a good discussion. When farang need to travel down I guess we'll hear about it then. The cheapest you can go mo chit to on nut is for 20 baht. The cheapest you can go mo chit to bang chak (one stop past on nut) is 35 baht. It is ridiculous. But let me augment the point, it get more ridiculous....

you can go mo chit to on nut (a total of 16 stops) for 20 baht; that's 1.25 baht per stop.

if you go bang chak to ekkamai (a total of 3 stops) the cheapest is 35 baht; that's 11.7 baht per stop.

that is almost 10 times more on a per stop basis!

in short, if you just so happen to live in the wrong spot (bang chak for example), you're really screwed.

do people understand?? Anyway, forgive my redundancy.

Edited November 14, 2012 by isawasnake

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Well, you can't do anything but pay full price within the extension. It is much nicer with a card though, as it is the same price and you don't have to stop. Anyway..... what ALWAYS amazes me about these discussions is the lack of outrage for the fare increase in the extension. If you simply placed the same pricing scheme somewhere in the middle of the BTS route (say siam to Askoe), people woild be screaming bloody murder on here everyday. Since farang don't go past on nut however, it is a non issue. Woes me I guess. It wouldn't matter if a bunch of farang did complain anyway.

I will take your lack of response to my direct question as confirmation that my thinking was correct.

It is true the extension issue doesn't worry me at all, my understanding is that the laws/contracts under which the joint venture operates forbade them from raising prices on the original stations, and if the "exorbitant" price of using the extension is what enables the infrastructure to continue to expand then that's a small price to pay in my book.

IMO the BTS and MRT are very rare examples of truly world-class facilities here in LOS, something for the Thais to truly be proud of even at triple the fares.

Apparently the government tried to actually take over the whole system a few years back (opposite of privatize?), and I'm sure that would not have been in the public interest long-term.

[isawasnake]

and if the "exorbitant" price of using the extension is what enables the infrastructure to continue to expand then that's a small price to pay in my book.

Well, if you just so happened to live in the wrong spot, and payed it everyday, you may be singing a different tune. Not to mention the poor thais that are stuck paying it (i'm not righteous, and admit it, i bring up the point for #1, me, ha). A person who lives a kilometer to the west of me pays 75% less for their daily commute of pretty much the same distance?!

I also agree with part of another thing you said, but to truly make it world class, they'd lose the ridiculosity (yes i know thats not a word)

Edited November 14, 2012 by isawasnake

[SeaVisionBurma]

Well, if you just so happened to live in the wrong spot, and payed it everyday, you may be singing a different tune. Not to mention the poor thais that are stuck paying it (i'm not righteous, and admit it, i bring up the point for #1, me, ha). A person who lives a kilometer to the west of me pays 75% less for their daily commute of pretty much the same distance?!

I get the feeling you're none too pleased with the extension prices. Just a guess.

There's always the bus. Very cheap.

[isawasnake]

This paragraph, which I suspect is confusing you:

Note that a Rabbit card can store trips as well as balance. If trips are available they will be used first. For the Skytrain Extension past On-Nut to Bearing Balance will be used up. (So if you have travel Siam-Bearing and have trips available you will use up 1 trip AND 15 Baht. If you only have balance you will use up 55 Baht)

refers to the 30-Day Pass for Adults, and not the stored value card.

Well thanks for your attempts to help me understand.

To clarify I'm only talking about the Rabbit card, and for the moment let's set aside the issue of how long the card itself is valid. And, my only objective is to save money on the fares compared to using cash, no interest in using it for anything but that.

Is there a way for me to keep money spent for that purpose long-term?

Say I leave Bangkok for a few months and come back, do I still have my cheap trips available?

If not, then none of the rest is of any interest to me.

No, 30 days is the max for your stated purposes.

Also noteworthy, there is no way to pay anything but 15 baht within the extension. Card/no card, whatever. I do believe in free markets though, so i should shut my mouth. If it is too much, people wont pay it is the real truth.

[isawasnake]

Well, if you just so happened to live in the wrong spot, and payed it everyday, you may be singing a different tune. Not to mention the poor thais that are stuck paying it (i'm not righteous, and admit it, i bring up the point for #1, me, ha). A person who lives a kilometer to the west of me pays 75% less for their daily commute of pretty much the same distance?!

I get the feeling you're none too pleased with the extension prices. Just a guess.

There's always the bus. Very cheap.

I think i'm more upset about people not being upset, lol