Hi, I am currently working in Phuket on a two year contract and am desperately trying to organize transport for Work. They do offer a staff bus but unfortunately it does not travel in the Patong direction and this is where I stay. I have looked into renting a car but the cheapest i have found one is for 15 000 THB and i am not willing to cut such a large amount of money off my salary to rent one. Does anyone know of cheaper cars for rent or has anyone ever hired a driver and if so do you know what the going rate would be for one? Or does anyone know if i could work out a cheaper rate with a taxi driver if all he had to do was drop me off at Kamala from Kalim at 8am then fetch me at 6pm 5 days a week?

Thanks

whats your prob? Buy a small scooter or a car and sell it after 2 years. You wont loose much, in the end that is by far the cheapest option

I do not know how to ride a scooter and i'd rather not learn on the dangerous roads of Phuket. The road to work is also in very bad condition and not ideal. Buying a Car is also not possible as i do not have the funds to do so and i cannot buy it on finance as my work permit has not been valid for long enough.

Any reason why you didn't get a place close to your work knowing this situation would arise? I would try to get out of your current rental situation and move close to work and ride a bicycle to and from given your circumstances. As far as I know there is no direct public transport between Kalim and Kamala. Do you have enough money to buy an old car in the 100K range? Will your work front you some cash and take it out of your check? I don't see many viable options in your current situation, but maybe a poster here travels to Kamala every day and can work something out with you.

I signed a year lease at an apartment i really like prior to starting the position. Unfortunately riding a bicycle is not visible as the Hotel i work at is not in Kamala town or easily accessible, it's on the cliff top of Kamala so its a pretty steep cliff to bicycle up to and the only accommodation close by is private houses/villas and resorts/hotels.

One of my friends did a tricky thing a few years ago. Not sure how but he found a Thai who needed a motor bike. He need a rode the same as you going from Rawai to Phuket town. So he had this guy buy a motorbike for 30,000B which he would pay for and it only cost him 1500B a month, The deal was he would pick him and take him to work and back every day. The kid could use the bike all he wanted but he had to pick him up or else he would quit payig the bill. He did this for 6 months and never had a problem. When he left he simply paid it off. I was cheaper on the long ruyn than renting a car. But you have to put up with the rain and weather. Another idea would be to make a deal with a bike taxi to pay him 100B one way to do the same. Steady work every day, just don't pay in advance. Just a thought.

Thanks, that seems like a good idea, will look into it!

move closer to work

get a scooter its easy to drive or ask for more money from your company