Looking at Pattaya as a holiday town I think that the SONG TAEW'S (baht busses) are the worse thing here in Pattaya!
I recently left my car at home and headed into town by foot and Song Taew, each song taew drove like they didn't have any passengers in the back, no consideration when braking hard or accelerating. I found the drivers aggressive and moody not to mention them blocking and jamming the streets up and the pollution. To many tourists These guys are the face of Pattaya and their first dealings with the locals.. I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with these people as part of their holiday here. They are the Parasites of Pattaya.
Imagine if Pattaya City got rid of them all and provided their own special bus service, each smiling friendly driver proud to wear a uniform, trained to care about tourists, speak english and have knowledge about Pattaya and welcome tourists the land of smiles..

The transport type in itself is a good option if integrated within a more comprehensive and balanced system. Yes including some mass transit options and also actual taxi meters. I agree the behavior of most of the drivers is a crying shame, and sometimes I mean that literally. In theory, that could be regulated and at least improved but it's clear there isn't even any EFFORT towards that goal.

"Imagine if Pattaya City got rid of them all and provided their own special bus service, each smiling friendly driver proud to wear a uniform, trained to care about tourists, speak english and have knowledge about Pattaya and welcome tourists the land of smiles.. "

Your wishes are as real as John Lennon's song "Imagine"

Nice song.....will never happen.

"Imagine if Pattaya City got rid of them all and provided their own special bus service, each smiling friendly driver proud to wear a uniform, trained to care about tourists, speak english and have knowledge about Pattaya and welcome tourists the land of smiles.. "

And the 10 Baht fare would be hiked to 100 Baht.

Dream on OP...... but yes, would be good

Never have a problem with baht buses even though I know it happens. Just don't use them much anymore.I don't expect too much and mostly don't get it anyway in all dealings here.But what do you expect for the price?

When I get good sevice and good value I'll be back often.

After years in Phuket I find the Baht buses a big relief. And for 10 Baht (compared to 200 in Phuket ), I will gladly take the aggravation they cause me every now and then.

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After years in Phuket I find the Baht buses a big relief. And for 10 Baht (compared to 200 in Phuket ), I will gladly take the aggravation they cause me every now and then.

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I agree there is a lot good about them ... but there is room for improvement in the overall mix of public transport options in town, and large but still populated areas aren't really covered at all with any option.

Oh boy! A baht bus thread, the moderators must be ecstatic, will something new be posted that hasn't been mentioned on all previous baht bus threads? We can only hope!

I have only had a problem once in 25 years. I gave one the finger and he chased me for a few blocks. Transportation for 10 baht - 5 baht in the old days - seems like a great deal to me.

They keep speeds down. If none or less songthaews, Beach and 2nd would become raceways (close to that already).

We must be extremely lucky, because we have yet to have any problems with riding baht buses on average 3 or 4 times per week for the 2.5 years that we have lived here. Several of the drivers have gone well above and beyond to help out when needed, and most have been cheerful and friendly.

I don't have any problems with the way they drive.I drive the same way.

Are Song Taew's the worse thing in Pattaya?

No, they are the worse thing in Chiang Mai

They keep speeds down. If none or less songthaews, Beach and 2nd would become raceways (close to that already).

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I have only had a problem once in 25 years. I gave one the finger and he chased me for a few blocks. Transportation for 10 baht - 5 baht in the old days - seems like a great deal to me.

I'm no fan of Baht buses. Yes, they are cheap, but so are the regular buses in Bangkok. The one on Thong Lor is 7 Baht. Ok, it's run down, but better than many baht buses.

There are just too many of them, stopping wherever they like, honking their horn, etc. Traffic would be much better with a bus system that did the various routes, with proper bus stops. Plus, the baht buses are miserable when it's hot, raining, or you need to travel far. You end up at your destination dirty and having sucked in a bunch of car fumes.

Would be wonderful to have some true metered taxis like Bangkok.

Yes, in the infamous words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream...".

I have only had a problem once in 25 years. I gave one the finger and he chased me for a few blocks. Transportation for 10 baht - 5 baht in the old days - seems like a great deal to me.

Just the mental image of this has made me smile....

One may or may not like Bahtbuses, but just imagine the traffic/parking chaos downtown if all the people who use them started using private transport instead.

For that matter consider what the roads will be like if the people who currently can only afford motorbikes find that they can afford to buy a car.

I would say Baht Buses are one of the best things about Pattaya.

I only hear car owners whinging about them.

Imagine if Pattaya City got rid of them all and provided their own special bus service,

I can imagine the congestion that large buses would cause in the small streets that the bahtbus routes often run along.

Would be wonderful to have some true metered taxis like Bangkok.

Yes, in the infamous words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream...".

We have the same dream in Chiang Mai. We have them, but they won't use their meters - sound familiar?

Imagine if Pattaya City got rid of them all and provided their own special bus service,

I can imagine the congestion that large buses would cause in the small streets that the bahtbus routes often run along.

The idea was mooted a few years ago but the Baht Bus and motorcycle taxi mafia put paid to it.

What happened to the monorail plan of last year?

I must be the odd one out as I think they are the best thing since sliced bread. You can always get one for a short or long trip peanuts price, never in over 20 years of using them have I had a problem. I can come up with thousands of thing's that are a lot worse about Pattaya but the B/Busses are right at the bottom of the list.

Would be wonderful to have some true metered taxis like Bangkok.

Yes, in the infamous words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream...".

We have the same dream in Chiang Mai. We have them, but they won't use their meters - sound familiar?

Same in Samui, is Bangkok the only city where a meter is used by taxis?

I think they provide a very good service and cheap with it; I'd gladly pay more if I had to. There's far many worse things in Pattaya than baht buses. I've never been to Phuket, but from what I've read & heard the situation in Pattaya is far better

I must be the odd one out as I think they are the best thing since sliced bread. You can always get one for a short or long trip peanuts price, never in over 20 years of using them have I had a problem. I can come up with thousands of thing's that are a lot worse about Pattaya but the B/Busses are right at the bottom of the list.

You are not the odd one out as I have used them for about 14 years, come across a very few crazy drivers but overall a reasonable system.

I would like to see viable alternatives, such as meter cabs that actually use the meter or a decent local bus service but I won`t be holding my breath on either.

They need a lane for them, and drug test the drivers once a month. Oh, and a vehicle check up and maintenance wouldn't be bad to get rid of the black smoke.

Baht buses are working just fine , you don't have to wait more than 5-10 minutes , even at night to get to Jomtien or Pattaya city . The drivers can sometimes be a bit crazy but no serious accidents in several years.

Just stay away from them during songkran .

It would be better if there were half as many.

Baht buses are working just fine , you don't have to wait more than 5-10 minutes , even at night to get to Jomtien or Pattaya city . The drivers can sometimes be a bit crazy but no serious accidents in several years.

Just stay away from them during songkran .

That isn't entirely true.

Going FROM Jomtien in high season (for many months) during peak evening hours the buses are often either fully packed or mostly EMPTY trolling for charter fares. It can sometimes take as long as ONE HOUR to find a seat. The other option is to take a long walk or a bus in the opposite direction towards outer Jomtien where it will be easier to get on a bus going into town.

This is not a trivial problem. If you saw the looks of anger and frustration from tourists when encountering this reality (so many empty buses passing by crowds of people wanting a bus) people would understand.

The root problem with this is the greed of the drivers looking for charters, no regulation on the system to force an actual good public service, no other public transport options, and the lack of a real TAXI METER system.

Try Hua Hin...apparently its a whopping YHB 150 for a KM ride....which upset a certain tourist....seems to be in Thailand damned if you do and damned if ya dont