anonymouse Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Just a heads up for those that use Songtaews outside of the city; The Chiang Mai Provincial Land Transport Department has come to an agreement with songthaews and buses that serve the outer areas that they will no longer stop inside the city but will only start and stop at the Chang Puak Bus Station or at the Arcade Station depending on their license. Red songthaews, which number about 2,000, will be the only songthaews allowed to make stops within the city starting August 1, 2014. So if you used to pick up a non-red songthaew from Kad Luang you will now need to go to Chang Puak or Arcade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf5370 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 What about south - Yellow Songtaews - still run to/from Kad Luang? CM Gate/Night Market? Is this only leaving the city or entering too (i.e. will they now stop outside and force people to jump onto a Red Songtaew???) If so, then this will hut these Yellow Songtaews a lot - especially for school runs - as it will suddenly be chaper to take just the Red ST all the way through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouse Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 What about south - Yellow Songtaews - still run to/from Kad Luang? CM Gate/Night Market? Is this only leaving the city or entering too (i.e. will they now stop outside and force people to jump onto a Red Songtaew???) If so, then this will hut these Yellow Songtaews a lot - especially for school runs - as it will suddenly be chaper to take just the Red ST all the way through. I'm not sure, my wife mentioned it to me today and I then saw that piece that I copied from Chiang Mai mail. I think it is starting from today and it is all of the Sonthaews that run on routes outside the city. My wife says that it is a problem with the Red Songthaew drivers who have pushed for the other routes to stay out of the city but this could be just gossip.I know that the Doi Saket buses now will terminate/start at Chang Puak, not sure about other routes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jobin Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Walked past Chang Puek bus terminal yesterday 5pm. Lots of police and a chaotic scene with red/yellow trucks zooming around and folks dashing here and there to get the ride needed. Effect on me = zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daoyai Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Good for those connecting from big busses to out of town songteow bad for everyone else.... the whole transport system in CM needs reform with passenger need trumping mafia greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar2 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 .... the whole transport system in CM needs reform with passenger need trumping mafia greed. coincidentally while parked in the city yesterday afternoon and while waiting on a friend to conduct some business at a couple of places, out of boredom i actually started to count how many empty red songtaews i saw near where i was parked, during a 40 minute period of time. i stopped counting after 63 (a couple may have had one passenger). now that is absolutely ridiculous. there has to be a better system that will stop this traffic congestion and pollution of the air. i have no idea how much it costs to fill up a songtaew with LPG/CNG but certainly it must be a waste of money for the drivers to operate this way. the whole thing just makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmsally Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) Southern route songtaews (yellow) also run from Chang Puak now. Red songtaews apparently not allowed to pick up people from out of town, even if they are coming from home in the morning etc Edited August 2, 2014 by cmsally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousehound Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I often kcharter a Red for the day (or half a day) to go out of town. eg. Chiang Dao or the Butterfly Farm, Queen Sikirit gardens etc with a bunch of visitors. Is this no longer possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank James Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I think Chiang Mai should have motorbike taxis, well regulated, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 The Chiang Mai public transportation system ? is shambolic,there appears to be no vision for an intergrated system.Far too many vested interest and it will get to the stage where the old city and close surrounding areas will be in total grid lock. When it comes to CM's turn I hope the first thing the Army does is to banish the smoke belching songteaws,get rid of the transport mafia and have some sort of order amongst the chaos...............Dream on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jobin Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 So if going from Chang Puek gate to Hang Dong i can get yellow bus at Chang Puek bus terminal for direct ride? Would be handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf5370 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Southern route songtaews (yellow) also run from Chang Puak now. Red songtaews apparently not allowed to pick up people from out of town, even if they are coming from home in the morning etc That can't work, people get the reds to go off route locations from out of town. E.G. Going from Hang Dong to Arcade Bus Station. So they will have to stop when flagged just to find out if it is a off route location or impinging on Yellow (etc) fixed routes - once stopped, would they say "no"? How would you enforce that. Also Red Songtaews run all night (and do the Yellow routes after 19:30). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmsally Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Southern route songtaews (yellow) also run from Chang Puak now. Red songtaews apparently not allowed to pick up people from out of town, even if they are coming from home in the morning etc That can't work, people get the reds to go off route locations from out of town. E.G. Going from Hang Dong to Arcade Bus Station. So they will have to stop when flagged just to find out if it is a off route location or impinging on Yellow (etc) fixed routes - once stopped, would they say "no"? How would you enforce that. Also Red Songtaews run all night (and do the Yellow routes after 19:30). Well someone who came in on a yellow one this morning said that everyone got off en route. So you have the red ones at Chang Puak supposedly to pick up for inner city, but empty yellow songtaews arriving! Oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 .... the whole transport system in CM needs reform with passenger need trumping mafia greed. coincidentally while parked in the city yesterday afternoon and while waiting on a friend to conduct some business at a couple of places, out of boredom i actually started to count how many empty red songtaews i saw near where i was parked, during a 40 minute period of time. i stopped counting after 63 (a couple may have had one passenger). now that is absolutely ridiculous. there has to be a better system that will stop this traffic congestion and pollution of the air. i have no idea how much it costs to fill up a songtaew with LPG/CNG but certainly it must be a waste of money for the drivers to operate this way. the whole thing just makes no sense. Did you bother to count the vehicles with only one person in them. Absolutely ridicules is only the beginning for that figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman34014 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 My Brother-in-Law has a Yellow Bus and he works the route from Nong Tong to CM. These Guys can't just work when they feel like it as only so many are allowed per day and there are always too many that want to work, so they have to 'book on' several days ahead. BIL says it's hard to make any money as fares are low, costs are rising in all departments and it's only really worth running during peak periods as the rest of the day is a waste of time and fuel. He now prefers to rent out to groups on a daily basis for trips to Mountain Temple's, runs to Maisai etc and tries to avoid the local slog. If he can book day trips twice a week he makes more than doing the City run seven days a week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naboo Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 How is the city boundary defined? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar2 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I think Chiang Mai should have motorbike taxis, well regulated, of course. they have had them for years. well-regulated? probably not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 My Brother-in-Law has a Yellow Bus and he works the route from Nong Tong to CM. These Guys can't just work when they feel like it as only so many are allowed per day and there are always too many that want to work, so they have to 'book on' several days ahead. BIL says it's hard to make any money as fares are low, costs are rising in all departments and it's only really worth running during peak periods as the rest of the day is a waste of time and fuel. He now prefers to rent out to groups on a daily basis for trips to Mountain Temple's, runs to Maisai etc and tries to avoid the local slog. If he can book day trips twice a week he makes more than doing the City run seven days a week. I believe they are all struggling. There is defiantly to many on the road for them to make a good living with. In the last four years the charge has been a straight 20 baht even though the cost of living has risen. I would not be a bit surprised to see a bump in that rate. The reality of it is there is not that many smoke blowing ones on the road but the ones that are should defiantly be removed. It is not that they add that much more to the air pollution but they do really need to cut back on the number of songthaew's on the road and those would be the logical ones to start with. Then again this is the low season for tourists and there may be the need in the high season. As it sits now if you know where you are going or the name of some thing well known close by public transportation is cheap and easy. There of course will be the ones who gouge. Just wave them on and grab the next one. I personally don't mind an extra 10 baht but then again I do not take short trips. For those I walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I think Chiang Mai should have motorbike taxis, well regulated, of course. they have had them for years. well-regulated? probably not. And very few in numbers unlike Bangkok where there are thousands,great way to travel when the traffic is heavy. i was always intrigued by the girls ,including my wife ,who used to ride side saddle while clutching a few shopping bags in both hands. If they develop an electric bike that is capable of carrying 2 people ,including overweight falangs,it would reduce noise and air pollution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByblosYuNaiSoi Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Hi I need to catch the yellow truck between Chiang Mai gate and Central Airport Plaza, going toward Hang Dong. Which streets does it pass? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daoyai Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Get ye to Wualai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByblosYuNaiSoi Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Get ye to Wualai Thank ye much. Be there a nunnery there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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