Baht Bus Drivers At Bus Station Demanding 30 Baht To Beach Rd.

[hotandhumid]

C'mon lads how much are we talking about here? Some of these Baht Bus franchisees pay a 1000 baht to hire the bus for a day I've heard. Then there's fuel, repairs, potential accidents. I feel so sorry sometimes for these would-be entrepeneurs running about empty most of the day trying to make a crumb.

Yes, I know there's the bad type too.

They make more than a crumb, dude.

Jin - You must be in heaven with so many people talking about baht buses....

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I find it incredible that these sort of people actually exist (that's the OP, not the baht bus driver) whinging about a measly 30 baht and starting a thread on it.....you Sir are an utter embarrassment.

The baht bus service is a Thai style public transport service, first and foremost, for Thai travellers and, incidentally, tourists. I've seen many Thais on those intercity buses, having done the route 25 or so times between Bangkok and Pattaya. They wouldn't be using a bus to Pattaya if they had alternative transport. That's all they can afford. But because tourists tend to have more money and are easily separated from said money, the baht bus transport cartel seeks to milk us (with higher fares) and therefore every one. It's not about me. The issue, to state it yet again, is about a quasi-government public transport system that operates like a cartel. Cartels always extort more money than a business model would justify. Many Thais get caught up in the milking, just as they do on the moto taxis, another mafia run, overpriced service. I have lost count of the number of farang residents who have bought motorbikes because, well, it makes economic sense to do so because after about 18 months of not taking the taxis at a 100 baht a return trip per day, you've bought yourself a motorcycle.

Anyway, mods, why not lock this thread down since it's going in circles.

[brewsterbudgen]

In any case there's no evidence that I can see that the price has actually gone up to 30 baht!

[raybal5]

They prey on people who don't know and even then I am surprised that they are not charging them even more then the 30 THB they are asking!

30 baht is $1. Sure it's more than 33 cents but are you really that hard up that you can't afford $1 ?????

[MJCM]

They prey on people who don't know and even then I am surprised that they are not charging them even more then the 30 THB they are asking!

30 baht is $1. Sure it's more than 33 cents but are you really that hard up that you can't afford $1 ?????

Sorry, but that was not the point !!! They are just trying to get away with it, and if people don't know the exact price, they even will ask 50 - 100 or even 200 THB for the same trip !!

Ps: Why do you change THB into USD ?

Edited June 7, 2013 by MJCM

[brewsterbudgen]

Just to update this thread:

The fare from the bus station to Beach Road is still 20 baht. It is clearly advertised as such on the huge LED display. The fare to Jomtien is 30 baht.

Any deviation off the route, will incur a special price - i.e. whatever the driver and you can agree on, but most likely more than 20 baht. Individual hotel drops that are off the main route are similarly charged.

If there are no other customers, you will have to wait until the songtaew fills up to get the 20 baht rate, or pay more to leave early.

So, there has been no change in the bahtbus fare from the bus station.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Excellent update.

To reiterate, the drivers on two occasions told us (of course, Thai and foreigner) sitting on the bus the fare would be 30 baht and must be prepaid. The third time I overheard the 30-baht fare as I headed to the bus seat but turned away as did another traveller. My route included catching a Central Road bus, so the total fare to get home would have been 40 baht to Big C Extra, with a good amount of walking from Beach to 2nd Road. Might as well take a bus station moto taxi at 50 and get home in 6-7 minutes instead of 40 plus minutes.

Anyway, while the issue of Pattaya overcharging still stands, I've moved to Bangkok where I pay 20 baht to go about 1.5 km to Rama 4 Big C or same to Foodland on soi 16 Sukhumvit from 22 (it's a lengthy zigzag route). And sometimes I throw in an extra 10 baht. So it's not about the money, it's about trying to charge visitor and local alike more than the set Pattaya fares at the drivers' whim.