Baht Bus Bottleneck From Jomtien To Pattaya During Peak Hours -- Worse Than Ever!

[Jingthing]

This is nothing new, but this high season it is really worse than ever.

I am talking about the baht bus availability situation going from Jomtien to Pattaya during peak evening hours.

The pattern is with high season and more Russian tourists than ever -- GREED has taken over.

The MAJORITY of baht buses going this route during peak evening hours are either EMPTY hustling for a taxi charter or engaged as a taxi charter.

The remaining minority of buses are OVER CAPACITY, people hanging off the rafters. Yes, quite often to the point of being a safety hazard.

People who want a BUS are getting very frustrated. Very long waits for seat availability. I mean seriously, it could be an hour based on how many people in your party and depending on whether you are willing to hang off the bus. Sure many are caving in and chartering, that's what they want.

Picture this if you will. Twenty or thirty people hanging around in the same general area hoping for a baht BUS and EMPTY buses passing them. Also occasionally a totally stuffed bus not capable of taking even one more small person, even a daredevil. Walk a little bit. See ANOTHER twenty or thirty people. Watch a nice couple wave an empty baht bus. Watch the driver slow down and see if they will charter the bus, watch them try to board as a bus, watch the driver speed away and the nice tourist couple start to frown and curse. You will see this every night now in Jomtien.

It used to be there was a BUS queue at the Dongtan police box area. Now there is a bus waiting there. TAXI only!

Bottom line the tourists Pattaya is supposedly welcoming to town are NOT being served! Bottom line because of the baht bus driver greedy behavior, there is a MASSIVE under-supply of BUS seats going into Pattaya during peak hours.

Tourists (not to mention residents) deserve a reliable BUS service to get into town and enjoy Pattaya.

I am sorry but I think this is a really bad, serious situation.

If the majority of baht bus drivers are going to behave this way, and they are and they do, then where is the CITY to serve the tourists?

I am talking about an ACTUAL LARGE bus service to fill in this gap during high season times and get the masses of people into town and not make them wait a very long time, stuff themselves into an overstuffed bus, or force them to hire charters. Also of course ALWAYS still needed, real taxi meters in a scenario where they are the taxis and the baht buses stick to being buses, but I know an impossible dream.

I am really not exaggerating. The situation is horrible.

The tourism promoters are supposedly worried that international tourists are going to trash talk when they get home. Don't they realize that they will be talking about this atrocious transport problem?

Edited January 13, 2013 by Jingthing

[DiNiro]

The powers that be like it this way.

[OMGImInPattaya]

I think we'll be getting a lot of Jomtien restaurant reports...at least until the Russian summer arrives

Edited January 14, 2013 by OMGImInPattaya

[chris2004]

It's going to get a lot worse soon as well when they finish the new condos they are building at the top of the hill. The Axis 400 condos, the Grande Caribbean 1,000 condos, Treetops 300 condos. There must be thousands of condos now in a 2 km stretch of road between Jomtien and Pratamnack Hill. In peak times it's quicker for me to walk into town.

[gerry53]

It's going to get a lot worse soon as well when they finish the new condos they are building at the top of the hill. The Axis 400 condos, the Grande Caribbean 1,000 condos, Treetops 300 condos. There must be thousands of condos now in a 2 km stretch of road between Jomtien and Pratamnack Hill. In peak times it's quicker for me to walk into town.

It is worse than that. What about the 20 or so mega condo projects being started in Jomtien on Second road and Beach road right down to the new Reflections Towers at the south end. If all these projects get completed not only will the road access to Pattaya be impossible and any hope of catching a baht bus - what about the water situation that is already lacking?

[DiNiro]

Don't off duty police run the tutuks in the most lucrative spots?

They want to pack the bus past the safety limit for personal profits and force others to charter at inflated rates....or stand there is the hot sun...up to you...

There is no real shortage of tuktuks. Just a shortage of ethics, morality & respect for visitors.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I certainly feel sorry for those using the "public transit" in high season. But it was getting so bad before that -- late November, early December -- that I finally decided to get a motorcycle. Since then I have passed many an overstuffed baht bus from Pattaya to Jomtien. And I did notice empty buses/chartered half-full buses heading back to Pattaya. It didn't make any sense, until you figured out why. Poor tourists.

A similar greed factor plays out at the Tuesday/Friday Buakhao market. Baht buses depart the Pattaya South lineup full and leave those of us waiting for a pickup along the route passing up two, three, four buses until an empty one comes along. But sometimes the empty ones bypass you.

I got sick of this BS and bought a bike, which cuts my Pattaya-Jomtien trips from 45 minutes to 15-20, but using a different route. And it gives me great pleasure to pass moto taxi lineups for want of customers -- 50 to 60 baht for a trip. Stupid fares, compared to Bangkok,

[smedly]

this practise is spreading to other parts - even 2nd road, they will drive around empty looking for groups of dark skined tourists who must be paying way over the odds cos they don't know any better

[properperson]

..............and they laughed when i moved from Jomtienski to Wongamat.........

Edited January 14, 2013 by properperson

[MRTELLYOUSTRAIGHT]

..............and they laughed when i moved from Jomtienski to Wongamat.........

lol Jomtienski

[joepattaya1961]

It's not only between Jomtien and Pattaya vv, but also in Pattaya:

Tried to take a bahtbus from Holiday Inn to Soi 13 off Beach Road.

The first 8 or 9 buses stopped, but when I made an attempt to step into the back without submitting my destination, the driver drove off!!

Number 9 or 10 actually stopped and acted as "public transport".

[Lancelot]

Traffic is a bi@tch in Pattaya. More and more I prefer to walk. Of course that has a down side too- like getting run over by a baht bus

[smedly]

It's not only between Jomtien and Pattaya vv, but also in Pattaya:

Tried to take a bahtbus from Holiday Inn to Soi 13 off Beach Road.

The first 8 or 9 buses stopped, but when I made an attempt to step into the back without submitting my destination, the driver drove off!!

Number 9 or 10 actually stopped and acted as "public transport".

exactly my experience on 2nd road, getting more like phuket every day

Like I've said before - if they reduced their numbers by 50% they might actually make a living instead of causing traffic jams

[Spalpeen]

Agree 100%. There are large numbers of condo developments being built in Jomtien and on Pratumnak. Perhaps someone could compile an e-mail list of the condo developers and then organise a campaign to make them aware that a lack of public transport will harm their sales. Money is the only thing that talks in Pattaya and there's serious money involved in the condo industry.

[Jingthing]

It's not only between Jomtien and Pattaya vv, but also in Pattaya:

Tried to take a bahtbus from Holiday Inn to Soi 13 off Beach Road.

The first 8 or 9 buses stopped, but when I made an attempt to step into the back without submitting my destination, the driver drove off!!

Number 9 or 10 actually stopped and acted as "public transport".

exactly my experience on 2nd road, getting more like phuket every day

Like I've said before - if they reduced their numbers by 50% they might actually make a living instead of causing traffic jams

Regarding my OP, the issue is not about there being too many or too few baht buses. The issue is about a MASSIVE UNDERSUPPLY of open SEATS for BUS riding during peak hours. There was a massive OVERSUPPLY of seats for taxi charter riding. I really think the logical solution is to make the baht buses BE buses all the time, with official predictable routes, and install a full blown Bangkok style taxi meter fleet for charters. It can't happen here because of the STRUCTURE of the baht bus/taxi system here. Yes God forbid, that could mean raising the baht bus fare to 15 baht, it would be worth it if you knew the bus was going to stick to a defined route and FINISH the route. 15 baht is problem, change-wise, so sell tokens!

Edited January 14, 2013 by Jingthing

[Asiantravel]

this practise is spreading to other parts - even 2nd road, they will drive around empty looking for groups of dark skined tourists who must be paying way over the odds cos they don't know any better

yes it is the same regarding " services " along Pattaya Klang ( Big C Extra ) . very frustrating

[Jingthing]

I am also noticing an increase in aggressive behavior from Jomtien after passing Pattaya South Road if the passengers numbers becomes sparse then. For example, banging on the window and aggressively trying to force the bus riders into charter fares. They know this is wrong but high season greed again. The riders boarded as a bus and they have the right to expect a bus service then. Of course it is nothing new for SOMETIMES such buses to turn at Pattaya Tai or simply go left on a soi just after Pattaya Tai when riders hoped to go much further north. In those cases, you've just got to pay your 10 and get another bus.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Jingthing

[BlackPuddingBertha]

10B is perfectly sufficient as a fare and it certainly does not need increasing. A full bahtbus going from Jomtien/Pattaya will be getting anything up to 150B or more per trip which is perfectly adequate.

I caught a bus from Jomtien to Pattaya the other evening without any waiting, though I admit that at this time of year I avoid going to Pattaya in the evening as I dont like the very long tailbacks along Second Road.

It anything needs doing it would just be to stop drivers from taking charter jobs along the main routes. Not easy to see how that can be put in place though, if people are stupid enough to ask them to do it in the first place.

[Jingthing]

Trying to use this service during peak evening hours almost EVERY night I can assure you my report reflects the reality. Obviously you can randomly get lucky and it also depends on where you try to pick up a bus. It wouldn't be that bad if the drivers only took charters who requested a charter. The much bigger problem is the large number of empty charter seeking buses passing by scores of hopeful BUS passengers. In a normal city, this would be front page news and there would be pressure for a solution. OK, I realize nobody expected a normal city moving here. But I think the TOURISTS expected some kind of reasonable PUBLIC transport.

The reason I mentioned a fare increase is because this behavior is motivated by greed so I think a fare increase could be OK for drivers and riders IF the buses started to BEHAVE like buses consistently. Actually picking up passengers, sticking to a set published route, and FINISHING the route. Yes this would need enforcement with consequences for violations, like any normal city with a public transport service sanctioned by the CITY. The suggestion is in the context of a taxi meter system handling the needed charter business. While we're at it: THIRD ROAD really needs baht BUS service. Get real now, the baht bus fare can't be 10 baht eternally. I say if it is going to go up someday, and of course it will, OFFER US MORE!

Not expecting ANY of these potential REAL solutions because I know better than most what the reasons are behind the current transport offerings. Being hopeful in this city for real solutions is pure folly. That said, I think it would humane to offer a TEMPORARY high season BIG BUS service (would probably need POLICE to ride along to deal with the enraged baht bus drivers, that's how it is) to serve these hundreds or thousands of tourists who are being inconvenienced every day. Don't expect that either, but at least that wouldn't radically alter the permanent status quo which refuses to be altered.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Jingthing

[yoslim]

one thing we really don't need is those crazy baht bus drivers on 3rd road, glad they mostly stick to beach road 2nd road loop

[Jingthing]

one thing we really don't need is those crazy baht bus drivers on 3rd road, glad they mostly stick to beach road 2nd road loop

They are charters there. There is no bus service on that road. I am talking about basic service, a small number of buses, so you could hope to catch one within 10 minutes. Not the level of service as the tourist areas.

[yoslim]

They should get rid of them all and start a real bus service with a reasonable amount of buses, set routes and 24/7 service. of course this will never happen in pattaya ...

[Jingthing]

They should get rid of them all and start a real bus service with a reasonable amount of buses, set routes and 24/7 service. of course this will never happen in pattaya ...

I think that's worth discussion which would happen in a normal city.

However, I don't think it is that simple.

This is a beach resort city in the tropics and the baht buses when they function well can be a fun experience for tourists. Also the Pattaya baht buses are connected with the touristic image of the city, perhaps like San Francisco cable cars. It's academic anyway. We're stuck with this system.

[ZZZ]

I assume that the way the baht busses are operated are regulated in the license agreement between the baht bus cooperative and Pattaya city hall.

This agreement will cover the rates the baht busses are allowed to charge and most likely also regulates where and how they should operate.

I’m pretty sure that what is going on now is a clear violation of this agreement and Pattaya City Hall should clear this up before we end up with the same system they have in Phuket. But with so much on their "should do" list I doubt anything will ever be done.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Trying to use this service during peak evening hours almost EVERY night I can assure you my report reflects the reality.

I dont disbelieve you. As I said, I specifically avoid going to Pattaya early evenings at this time of year due to the long tail-backs. But that one evening when I did go, I had no trouble getting a ride. Maybe I'm just hansum.

If the Russians started bitching about the bahtbus service and the charter price problem in their press and media at home (as they are currently bitching about street violence) that might encourage Pattaya City Hall to do something to improve things.

I think a bus would be a rather dull solution, and ugly too. The little remaining seaside ambiance here needs to be preserved.

[MrRealDeal]

Leave it to a Liberal to want to "make" and "force" independant bisnessmen to do things, and take away their Freedom to do as they please, because it doesn't suit their needs.

I don't think riding the bhat bus is on the list of top ten reasons people come to Pattaya ! LOL

i don't think anyone who is not renteing the entire thing as a limo finds it fun.

If riding the bus was actually one of the fun things to do they would need to find better entertainment not improve the bus.

Riding the bus as a fun activity in Pattaya ! ROFL

I imagine some dork telling is friend ..... Hey lets not go to the beach or the tittie bar today , let's ride in the back of a hot , overcrouded , dirty, pickup truck with strangers, it will be really fun.

[MrRealDeal]

Reducing the options for penny pinching cheapskates in tourist towns in an effort to make them either go away or spend more money is pretty common in the world.

[smedly]

I think in a tourist city such as Pattaya you are always going to get the expats giving off about the tourist "scams" we all get caught up in it one way or another, baht bus drivers trying it on - MB taxi's trying it on - bars trying it on, you just gota keep your brain engaged and with a little local savy and being polite with the odd thai word thrown in - it works out, I just got home from a night out and I was quoted 70baht on initial contact (they will try it on) for MB taxi and ended with the fair price of 30 baht with 10baht tip - you need to ask first

[Jingthing]

Leave it to a Liberal to want to "make" and "force" independant bisnessmen to do things, and take away their Freedom to do as they please, because it doesn't suit their needs.

...

Not really.

The baht bus system and the associated taxi FAKE meters (SAME ownership) are not really independent in the sense you assert. They are part of an organized system sanctioned by the city to provide the ONLY public transportation service in this rapidly growing CITY. The drivers do not OWN their trucks or fake taxi meters nor are they allowed to. They are theoretically obligated to follow the rules set by the BAHT BUS COLLECTIVE which I think is clearly in some amount of coordination with the city. The baht bus collective official policies cannot do anything they like but of course the operators are quite often a law unto themselves. If this was any kind of a "free market" that you paint, then any private person could start their own public transport service without permission of the city and baht bus collective and COMPETE with the Pattaya public transport monopoly. Not possible obviously. Perhaps legally possible but without buy in from the city and collective, everyone knows there would be violence. Right now as I have described would be a perfect time for an entrepreneur to offer a BIG BUS service from Jomtien to Pattaya for a fair price as the passengers are there in the masses UNSERVED. But that can't happen. Only the city and/or baht bus collective can allow that to happen. There is nothing especially "liberal" about wanting an efficient public transportation system that actually serves the population, residents and tourists. I am not suggesting anyone should be able to start their own public transportation service without city approval. I AM saying the public transport service monopoly that we've got has lots of room for improvement in terms of actually SERVING the public transport needs of their clients.

Honestly, reading your post is like hearing a satire of a Fox News style take on Pattaya transport.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Reducing the options for penny pinching cheapskates in tourist towns in an effort to make them either go away or spend more money is pretty common in the world.

Yeah lets be more like Phuket. Which yes, makes Pattaya look really good!