Good for Tourism in CM

[Gonzo the Face]

I think this would be good for Chiang Mai..... certainly better for sightseeing than a Tuk Tuk or Red Bus.

Kind of hard to make out but in the front of the photo there are two taxis, then you have the bus behind them.

Fully enclosed bottom deck w/AC and the upper deck is half open top to the world.....

[daoyai]

you can't be serious, for so many reasons.

[Thailand]

Used that service in KL,similar in HK, London etc.

A very effective and inexpensive way of sightseeing.

[cmsally]

Oooo not pretty when they pass under those low slung wires.

[MESmith]

Rent a bicycle or walk. And remember to use a bit of common sense as to where to stop to look at your map

[Lizard2010]

They are good

Used them in London Edinburgh and Singapore

[northernjohn]

Used that service in KL,similar in HK, London etc.

A very effective and inexpensive way of sightseeing.

They are good

Used them in London Edinburgh and Singapore

Yes indeed they are great for a way to see the city. Used them in Victoria B C. There you could get off one and look at what ever and get on the next one. As a person who walks a lot I tend to miss things as I have to watch where I walk. As for being a tourist on a bike. Welllllllllll I hope you have good health insurance.

Edit

In Mexico it was not an open topped bus but it did let one see places to come back and spend time at with out a schedule to follow.

Edited June 20, 2015 by northernjohn

[Chicog]

They have them in Dubai.

[Gonzo the Face]

you can't be serious, for so many reasons.

....Well elaborate on your statement.....you say something and say nothing ?????

Perhaps you'd prefer a ox cart with a couple vibrating recliners in back

Edited June 20, 2015 by Gonzo the Face

[mesquite]

I used one in London and it was great. They would be great for the Chinese here in CM...take them off the scooters and off the sidewalks where they step into traffic unexpectedly.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Singapore, Orlando and San Fran have these on fixed routes. Its a hop on hop off type thing. Loads of great stuff in the world that could be applied to Thailand but i dont think there is a will for it. Thailand likes to freewheel rather than have plans and goals to be heading for. Apart from the cant be arsed attitude you have the low hanging spaghetti electrics hanging across the roads.

[daoyai]

you can't be serious, for so many reasons.

....Well elaborate on your statement.....you say something and say nothing ?????

Perhaps you'd prefer a ox cart with a couple vibrating recliners in back

They are out of scale with CM's crowded narrow roads. Something more on the scale of the zoo tour busses might work.

[Gonzo the Face]

you can't be serious, for so many reasons.

....Well elaborate on your statement.....you say something and say nothing ?????

Perhaps you'd prefer a ox cart with a couple vibrating recliners in back

They are out of scale with CM's crowded narrow roads. Something more on the scale of the zoo tour busses might work.

Agree with your statement. I was remarking more about the concept than the use of this actual size bus. We already have double decker buses running about the city, so these would be used only on special tour routes that the smaller size would fit into and taking into consideration of other obstacles..... still a big improvement over what we have to work with now

[chingmai331]

In Hong Kong i still see trams on rails along the busy streets in the Central area. Stops every 1/3 mile, low cost, open windows, 2 decks and standing room. See the sights. Ding-ding. Sounds lovely but very unlikely to happen here coz no rails !!

[FolkGuitar]

They are out of scale with CM's crowded narrow roads. Something more on the scale of the zoo tour busses might work.

Agree with your statement. I was remarking more about the concept than the use of this actual size bus. We already have double decker buses running about the city, so these would be used only on special tour routes that the smaller size would fit into and taking into consideration of other obstacles..... still a big improvement over what we have to work with now

I saw something like that the other day going along Moon Muang Rd. Looked as if it could seat about 30 people, open air all around, but covered, and lower than a buss. Rather like a golf cart built for 30. Tourists were busy snapping photos left and right.

[little mary sunshine]

Traffic now is horrible, Soi's to narrow, headline "Tourists

Choke in open coach from smoke from burning fields"

[dave2]

re

I saw something like that the other day going along Moon Muang Rd. Looked as if it could seat about 30 people, open air all around, but covered, and lower than a buss. Rather like a golf cart built for 30

like this ban tawai bus ?

dave2

[Sparkles]

I've used the open top bus in London and they are a great attraction, especially if you get an entertaining guide, but the main attraction is what you see along the route, loads of historical buildings and places of interest.

I mean seriously what are you going to see in CM ? there is no interest in renovating what buildings of historical interest are remaining apart from temples and the Ping hardly sets the pulses racing. Within 3 years CM will be approaching gridlock and sitting up top in 38 degrees is hardly doable unless you just want to get a tan..

CM is doing its best,and succeeding, to become a very ugly city,the proliferation of electronic billboards is not helping and there is no sign of any concept for the future for alternative public transport and more green space.

I would rather see a cable car running from near the City to near the Zoo and to Doi Suthep or something along those lines that gets people off the streets.The views on a clear day would be something worth seeing.

[Beetlejuice]

And where exactly would this bus tour take the tourists?

I circular trip around the moat, to see the slender of the Loi Kroh Road, the historic Lai Tai Guest house, the ancient medicine women still working the massage parlours, the majestic Tapae and Chiang Mai Gates, about 6 minutes. And considering all the loose hanging cables and tree branches, there is no way I would risk traveling on an open top double decker bus in Chiang Mai.

[masuk]

A few cities have these, and I think it would be a great thing for tourists. The cost would be for the bus only - no tracks. Has anyone mentioned the Royal Botanical Gardens yet?

I travelled on the new Gold Coast tram in Australia recently. Amazing the places you see on the route.

Double decker bus in Shanghai.

[Chicog]

How about this then?

Of course they just can't resist....

Of course there is the usual bit of discrimination towards foreigners, but we’re used to that: prices for Thai are publicly cheaper than for foreigners and "the company reserves the right to give Thai citizens free rides".

http://www.chiangmailocator.com/109-chiang-mai-stories:push-bike-system-in-chiang-mai-is-the-city-turning-green

Edited June 20, 2015 by Chicog

[FolkGuitar]

re

I saw something like that the other day going along Moon Muang Rd. Looked as if it could seat about 30 people, open air all around, but covered, and lower than a buss. Rather like a golf cart built for 30

like this ban tawai bus ?

dave2

Same general idea, but longer and a bit higher. Not much higher, just enough to see over the parked cars. About 8-10 rows of seats, each seating four people. The one that I saw had no decoration at all, just a plain white paint job.

[lordblackader]

That style of transport works when there is actual sight seeing...exactly what site seeing is there in Chiang Mai that doesn't involve actually being on foot and entering a building or complex vs being on a bus and taking pictures?

Ultimately Chiang Mai will need public transit, and the so-called Chiang Mai monorail idea (which is actually not a monorail but more like a tram) has been floating around for years, and I doubt it will happen in my lifetime.

This bus concept, between the low hanging everything and the narrow streets, let alone driving past a series of Wats in the old city isn't all that exciting (only thing I could think of) just wouldn't work.

Can you imagine it "on the left is the Wororot market, where the rats and the fly blown meat offer locals a cheap buy."

"We're now at the Chiang Mai Gate, where along with the 1900s poorly rebuilt brick gate, along with the lime green water in the moat, there are 3 7-elevens and a Tesco Lotus all in a perfect triangle and literally no more than 200ms from each other, truly one of the amazing wonders of Thailand"

[Chiengmaijoe]

Traffic now is horrible, Soi's to narrow, headline "Tourists

Choke in open coach from smoke from burning fields"

Says Little Mary Sunshine.

[daoyai]

re

I saw something like that the other day going along Moon Muang Rd. Looked as if it could seat about 30 people, open air all around, but covered, and lower than a buss. Rather like a golf cart built for 30

like this ban tawai bus ?

dave2

Something similar to this or as described by folkguitar should be the public transportation in CM, low powered (CM is mostly level), comfortable, not too big, should run continuously around the city, can also serve tourists for sightseeing along the way. The tuk tuks and songteaws would hate them so they must be good.

[Gonzo the Face]

How do so many pessimist find there way on to one forum???? The glass is half empty...... It'd never work..... what is there to see in CM, etc.

..... and why is everyone limiting it to just in the close in city???? Think positively.... It would probably be a huge success just giving tourists a view of the old , muttering, barstoolers bitching about everything including the weather who have so much difficulty finding their way to their favorite barstool on Loi Kroi ..... Retirement at its finest and posting bitching on TV, between beers.

Com'on gang think positively about the place you chose to spend the duration. nuff 4 now.

[lvr181]

you can't be serious, for so many reasons.

No problem if the bus and driver is not made in Thailand

[FolkGuitar]

That style of transport works when there is actual sight seeing...exactly what site seeing is there in Chiang Mai that doesn't involve actually being on foot and entering a building or complex vs being on a bus and taking pictures?

The simple answer is 'absolutely everything!'

When we first moved to Chiang Mai, we hired a Tuk-tuk for the day to do nothing but drive us around and around. The driver removed the top so we'd have a better view. We went around inside and outside the moat, stopping for a few seconds at each temple, at the wet markets, back and forth through the small sois around Warrarot market, and the big market near the US Consulate, up and down the sois in the Old City looking at old houses, different shopping areas, and then moved outward along the Superhighway past Tessco Lotus, Carrefore, Big C, etc. In the afternoon, he took us out to Mae Rim and up into the Mae Sa Valley. There was no Royal Flora in those days, nor a Night Safari.

Chiang Mai was all new for us in those days, and everything was worth noting. We marked locations on our maps so we could re-visit places that we thought might interest us for further exploration in a more leisurely manner, and did so over the next few days. Frankly, I still enjoy wandering around Warrarot Market, and I've been shopping there for 15 years!

When we visit a new city anywhere in the world these days, we like to spend the first day getting a general overview of the place. It's a wonderful way to get a feel for a place, especially if it is within a completely different cultural setting. For us, it wasn't so much a 'photo safari' as it was an 'introduction to what's available in Chiang Mai.'

Edited June 21, 2015 by FolkGuitar

[Gonzo the Face]

That style of transport works when there is actual sight seeing...exactly what site seeing is there in Chiang Mai that doesn't involve actually being on foot and entering a building or complex vs being on a bus and taking pictures?

The simple answer is 'absolutely everything!'

When we first moved to Chiang Mai, we hired a Tuk-tuk for the day to do nothing but drive us around and around. The driver removed the top so we'd have a better view. We went around inside and outside the moat, stopping for a few seconds at each temple, at the wet markets, back and forth through the small sois around Warrarot market, and the big market near the US Consulate, up and down the sois in the Old City looking at old houses, different shopping areas, and then moved outward along the Superhighway past Tessco Lotus, Carrefore, Big C, etc. In the afternoon, he took us out to Mae Rim and up into the Mae Sa Valley. There was no Royal Flora in those days, nor a Night Safari.

Chiang Mai was all new for us in those days, and everything was worth noting. We marked locations on our maps so we could re-visit places that we thought might interest us for further exploration in a more leisurely manner, and did so over the next few days. Frankly, I still enjoy wandering around Warrarot Market, and I've been shopping there for 15 years!

When we visit a new city anywhere in the world these days, we like to spend the first day getting a general overview of the place. It's a wonderful way to get a feel for a place, especially if it is within a completely different cultural setting. For us, it wasn't so much a 'photo safari' as it was an 'introduction to what's available in Chiang Mai.'

Very, VERY well stated..... Good Post

Keeping in mind ... "Tourist"...... they are new to the city/area..... they are seeing something all new to them..... they have not a blighted opinion of this area as are some who have been here for yonks. Again good post and on the money.

[junglechef]

Traffic now is horrible, Soi's to narrow, headline "Tourists

Choke in open coach from smoke from burning fields"

In no time those tourists will be blamed for the burning season conditions as they are the ones using these buses which are causing all the smoke here