Baht Bus, How Much Do You Pay?

[Mighty Mouse]

Do away with baht buses altogether.

Provide your own transport.

There would be no further use for Second Road......other than to build more bars.

[Buckwheat]

Or you can speed up your trip and get around like my ex....

[CRUNCHER]

Ok so let a few bahtbusses stay, but only enough to serve the demand and allow in additional metered taxis. I have no problem paying 30-50 for a trip in town in a proper metered taxi. Similarly I have no problem paying 10 for a bahtbus ride if that is the price - but I refuse to be taken advantage of just because I have a different skin color. There are many Thais here who are richer than the farang average and who whould (if they would be bothere) be able to ride for 5 baht with the baht bus. This has nothing to do with socialism and everything to do with racism.

Sums it up nicely

[Jingthing]

Regarding racism, perhaps that is part of it, or a large part of it, but isn't it more about GREED and Thai NATIONALISM? Greed in the fact that they have imposed this totally obnoxious double pricing system and they have gotten away with it by using fear and intimidation, so why not continue?

For example, lets imagine a drunken Chinese American telling jokes with a thick Southern drawl, big, fat, smoking a stogie, and wearing a New York Yankees baseball hat. You don't think 10 baht would be expected? He's Asian. So is it pure racism then?

[Pattaya_Fox]

Regarding racism, perhaps that is part of it, or a large part of it, but isn't it more about GREED and Thai NATIONALISM? Greed in the fact that they have imposed this totally obnoxious double pricing system and they have gotten away with it by using fear and intimidation, so why not continue?

For example, lets imagine a drunken Chinese American telling jokes with a thick Southern drawl, big, fat, smoking a stogie, and wearing a New York Yankees baseball hat. You don't think 10 baht would be expected? He's Asian. So is it pure racism then?

I don`t think that they`d let him on the bus

[The Philosopher]

I always pay at least 20 baht somtimes many times more - the reason being i think Baht Bus drivers are among the most valued members of Pattaya's community - they are polite, trustworthy - they are excellent careful drivers setting an example to most farangs who take to the road. I therefore feel it is worth just that little bit extra to ensure they and their kind are proliferated and protected.

[Pattaya_Fox]

I always pay at least 20 baht somtimes many times more - the reason being i think Baht Bus drivers are among the most valued members of Pattaya's community - they are polite, trustworthy - they are excellent careful drivers setting an example to most farangs who take to the road. I therefore feel it is worth just that little bit extra to ensure they and their kind are proliferated and protected.

Your 20 baht has certainly helped with proliferation here as we don`t have to wait long to find one infact we can have our choice

[libya 115]

I always pay at least 20 baht somtimes many times more - the reason being i think Baht Bus drivers are among the most valued members of Pattaya's community - they are polite, trustworthy - they are excellent careful drivers setting an example to most farangs who take to the road. I therefore feel it is worth just that little bit extra to ensure they and their kind are proliferated and protected.

I put it to you: 'The Philosopher' that you are a third rate Voltaire.

Voltaire’s sarcasm was probably motivated to a large extent by his earlier imprisonment in the Bastille and a temporary exile in England.

1. Baht Bus drivers are not "the most valued members of Pattaya's community"

2. Baht Bus drivers are not "excellent careful drivers"

3. Proliferation (of Baht Bus drivers) is not necessary, there is already a surfeit.

[glenbat]

Principle more than anything, but end of the day if I pay 10bht I'm not that worried, lil less than 10p.

Exactly

For those of you not happy with paying 10baht, just think of us back in the uk, £1+ (its been 10years since i used public transport) to stand up on a crowded late bus thats seats stink of wee wee

And we dont get skinny assed chicks in hotpants sitting next to us, we get a granny with a purple rinse

think yourselves bloody lucky!

I know what id rather be on

[Phil Conners]

What has UK to do with anything? Why this obnoxious repeated reference to UK? This is Thailand, not UK.

[The Philosopher]

I always pay at least 20 baht somtimes many times more - the reason being i think Baht Bus drivers are among the most valued members of Pattaya's community - they are polite, trustworthy - they are excellent careful drivers setting an example to most farangs who take to the road. I therefore feel it is worth just that little bit extra to ensure they and their kind are proliferated and protected.

I put it to you: 'The Philosopher' that you are a third rate Voltaire.

Voltaire’s sarcasm was probably motivated to a large extent by his earlier imprisonment in the Bastille and a temporary exile in England.

1. Baht Bus drivers are not "the most valued members of Pattaya's community"

2. Baht Bus drivers are not "excellent careful drivers"

3. Proliferation (of Baht Bus drivers) is not necessary, there is already a surfeit.

Hook - Line and Sinker

[NanLaew]

Baht buses are a quick and convenient way to travel short distances.

The whole system would be so much better if they would disconnect the horns on all vehicles. The constant beep beep drives me crazy.....or crazier.

the pattaya beep beep bothers you? try vietnam! makes pattaya streets an oasis of aural tranquility

[glenbat]

What has UK to do with anything? Why this obnoxious repeated reference to UK? This is Thailand, not UK.

why all the questions? are you a policeman? called a harmless dig at the place I live... take it with a pinch of salt dont let it get to you

[Phil Conners]

When you've actually lived here for a couple of years we'll talk.

[Cuban]

Botton line is do you automatically double the the quoted/listed price for EVERY item of goods and services that you use/purchase in Thailand?

A McDonald burger is about 29 Baht - do you always pay 58 Baht? Even without the assistant asking? Of course you don't, you're not stupid are you?

The typical fare is 5 Baht, for very short distances less, yes I said less.

Although prices do vary with distance most trips within Pattaya are 5 Baht. Make a point of having 5 Baht coins in your pocket. And yes I also use five 1 Baht coins tapped together (c/o GoGo change trays for my journey home) the driver accept them.

If you are getting hassle in these situations maybe you are getting of the Songtheaw at the place you want to be, the "trick" that maybe you need to use is to ring the bell just as you pass the place you are going to. Then you place the 5 Baht firmly in the drivers hand, with a bright Krup Kun, turn and walk smartly away. The driver may shout a cheerly "Have a nice day!" or give a short toot on his horn to wish you Good Luck, but there is seldom a problem.

Personal experiance once in six years was this a "problem", and that was during a taxi charter of a BB during a rain storm.

So the next time your Check Bin total is 300 Baht including Bar Fine, insist on paying 600 Baht because your are farang.

Happy now?

[engrin]

my girlfriend pays, not sure how much

best way to avoid confrontation, she's sexy

[4.real]

I wonder at those that MUST show they are big Pu Yai[sic] .

I wonder with all the extra cash they have that they are happy to throw away and show their milk of human kindness by overpaying the bus drivers that they are here in Pattaya and not on the riviera where they can feel quite at home with all the other pu yai.

"Look at me baht bus drivers[and all you cheap charlies] I am RICH , have a penny or two....

I wonder what the thai baht bus drivers think of you.Do you think [if they were british peasants] they would toch their forelocks?

5 baht for the beach road circuit.10 baht from dongtan police box to Royal garden.

A 62 yo english lady was staying with me last year. This is the price she was quoted and this is the price she paid for the 3 weeks she was here. no problems.

[thaihome]

Are you saying that there are not enough working Thais, plus all the thousands of tourists and expat residents to make asucces of a metered taxi service?

Well we'll never know if they don't try it out, will we? I'll bet there would be hundreds of taxis who'd like to give it a try if they were allowed to.

In Bangkok, taxis do fine, and probably 95 % of the customers are Thai. Don't forget they also have a very extensive bus network, plus the Sky tains and the underground. (for which most rides are 25 plus Baht or so a head)

Also, many of the middle class Thais drive their own cars - but there still plenty of Thais who use the thousands of taxis.

Very often, 3 or 4 Thais will share a taxi, which means the cost reduces to around 8 - 12 Baht per head.

People looking for a short or medium distance ride on the Beach Road/second road and other regular baht bus routes will still mainly use the baht buses, but meter taxis would come into their own for bespoke journeys outside of these areas, and also late at night; in the same way as taxis are used in BKK away from the Skytrain and underground routes.

You know it makes sense

Just to note that baht buses are used extensively in Bangkok as well for short distances. Every area in the city has many routes. Fares are 5 or 10 baht depending on route and distance. A few short routes are 2 or 3 baht.

There are many times more baht buses in Bangkok than Pattaya, but as a percentage of total traffic, Pattaya is probably much higher.

We have always paid 10 baht each (my wife is Thai), but the only time we ride is from Jomtien to Beach Road.

TH

Edited December 16, 2006 by thaihome