Now Who Would Have Thought It?

[Noel]

High losses and low passenger numbers drives Pattaya’s bus service to the wall

Ariyawat Nuamsawat

Half a million baht in monthly losses due to rising fuel costs and a significant drop in passenger numbers have forced the Pattaya Beach Bus Co., Ltd. to review their operations. The company has held the concession on the bus service since it inception in early 2005.

As part of the plans to reduce costs, the Green line is to be placed on indefinite hold and bus timetables will change. Buses will run every half and hour instead of the initial 20 minute periods.

Suriyont Sriglindee, Pattaya Beach Bus marketing director revealed that all transport companies in Pattaya were facing similar problems, specifically the high cost of fuel.

The present low season has also seen a great reduction in the number of passengers using the bus service. During high season 80 percent of passengers were tourists, which has now dropped to as low as 20 percent.

Suriyont told reporters that the drop in passengers has been very distinct and as a result will alter the bus timetables accordingly.

“We are currently losing around 500,000 baht per month. These costs are attributed to fuel, wages, maintenance costs and a myriad of other costs. We need to cancel one of the routes for the interim and will reinstate the service when the time comes,” said Suriyont, “We must play it safe first. Additionally the government is planning to sell fuel direct to transport companies for one baht per liter. We will submit a letter to the provincial department to apply for this scheme.”

The Green line was chosen to be placed on hold due to its closeness to the two other routes. There will be no increase in fares for passengers.

Pattaya Beach Bus company management has said they will apply for the cheap fuel scheme offered by the government but require further details on how to do so and once complete will implement it in their daily operations and financial plans in order to return the service to its former level.

Source: Pattaya Mail

[Jai Dee]

During high season 80 percent of passengers were tourists, which has now dropped to as low as 20 percent.

Does that mean that during high season 20% of the passengers were locals, and currently 80% of the passengers are locals?

[Phil Conners]

Duh, what a surprise.

From day one we've seen their busses drive around empty most of the time, occationally with a single farang and his girlfriend.

The price and frequency compared to that of baht busses make it a non-starter.

I suspect it was really started by the baht bus mafia only with the purpose of being able to show later that "look we tried a real bus service but it didn't work out so we better stay with the baht busses".

[Artisan]

I never used this service since its start...nor do I know anyone who did. I could never say that it was a good idea...as it wasn't. There will be some who will say "But if you don't use it, you'll lose it". My answer is that I never wanted it in the first!! The alternatives were always cheaper and preferable.

Destined for the Forgotten Projects topic.

[Pattaya_Fox]

A non starter from the word GO.

No one is going to hang around in the heat for 30 minutes in order to pay 6 times the baht bus rate just for the priviledge of using one of these busses.

The baht bus service is very convenient, very cheap and services both locals and the tourist......

This bus system with many colours never stood a chance.

[Kerryd]

Agreed. It was doomed from the start. When they first came out with the 30 baht fare, most people realised it wasn't going to make it.

I rarely even see a bus, and when I do, it's usually empty.

The stats about 80% of the passengers being tourists (during the high season) don't tell the whole story obviously. For example, they failed to mention that 80% of 20 passengers per day (16 tourists) still isn't going to be a money making venture.

Drop the fares to 5 baht (for everybody) and see what happens. A lot of people would rather take a 5 baht, air-conditioned ride along #2 Road to Big C, than pay double for a baht bus. I would bet the ridership would increase dramatically.

Unfortunately, being where we are, they will probably decide to raise the fares and reduce the service instead (as they seem to be doing already).

[melonf]

Although the Baht buses are cheap and frequent on the busy roads they can be hit and miss on say Theprassit. So for routes not wel lserved the buses could be a god send.

However saying that I have never used them because I have absolutely seen no information whatsoever about the timetable. How an earth can you use a bus when you simply don't know whether one is due in 5 minutes or 30. Or even if the last one has gone for the eveing.

It is a ludicrously inept service.

[Gary A]

They have been trying for a long time to eliminate the baht buses. The baht buses are by far the most efficient people movers in Pattaya and Jomtiem. If it works why try to change it?

[Pattaya_Fox]

They have been trying for a long time to eliminate the baht buses. The baht buses are by far the most efficient people movers in Pattaya and Jomtiem. If it works why try to change it?

Exactly Gary....Long Live The Baht Bus

[donkeykong]

The mayor and council have now proposed a zeppelin service along Beach Road to add to his other radical projects including a tunnel under Pattaya (not kidding) and the Walking Street bypass which will be in the sea on concrete pillars (again not kidding).

Haven't seen the flying cops yet... especially at night?

No doubt in the future we can expect proposals for:

- a steam-powered monorail on the Beach Rd 2nd Rd circuit

- pig chariots

- rocket powered roller skates for hire

- Jeepneys built from beer cans

- 2-seater pogo sticks

- and, the north to south pattaya catapult!

God, I love Pattaya.

[Kerryd]

God, I love Pattaya.

It never seems to get dull here, does it ?

I'm trying to buy into some of those start-up companies. They'll probably get truckloads of government money to begin with, and by the time everyone realises it will never work, I'll be rich and re-retired (again) !

[britmaveric]

Non-starter. Who'd want to use a coach when you have perfectly good baht buses who are cheap/come every minute or so???

[Pattaya_Fox]

The mayor and council have now proposed a zeppelin service along Beach Road to add to his other radical projects including a tunnel under Pattaya (not kidding) and the Walking Street bypass which will be in the sea on concrete pillars (again not kidding).

Haven't seen the flying cops yet... especially at night?

No doubt in the future we can expect proposals for:

- a steam-powered monorail on the Beach Rd 2nd Rd circuit

- pig chariots

- rocket powered roller skates for hire

- Jeepneys built from beer cans

- 2-seater pogo sticks

- and, the north to south pattaya catapult!

God, I love Pattaya.

Can`t see the pig chariots lasting long.....they won`t be able to go fast enough and they`ll get a roasting.

The 2- seater pogo sticks sound novel.....but hey! who wants to go up and down all day as well as all night?

The north to south catapult will probably be a winner!....the reasoning behind this one way fast ride I suppose is that once you land in Walking Street you won`t be in any hurry to get home.

Plenty of hot air around the bars to power the monorail.

The overall winner I would say would be the Zeppelin along (and I assume) above Beach Road.

Would you please ask the council to have them painted either bright green, red, blue or yellow and to ensure that they run at least every half hour?

In the meanwhile we`ll continue to use the fabulous very wrongly maligned baht busses.

[barryofthailand]

I predicted from the start that the bus service with a fare of 30 baht would not work. First of all what Thai in their right mind would spend 30 baht on a bus to get them around locally when they can ride for 5 baht without having to wait long for a song Tow, and what tourist in their right mind wopuld wait in the heat for a bus. This was a losing proposition from the start. Why is our city government so ignorant with these foolish projects that just piss money away, not to add the ten million baht spent to put wires underground on the beach that really never was done. Just holes that caused safety hazards and accidents

Barry