Army formalizes baht bus routes, cuts fares

[Rimmer]

Army formalizes baht bus routes, cuts fares

PATTAYA:-- Pattaya’s baht buses were ordered to starting working only set routes and charge all passengers 10 baht each.

 

Col. Somsak Thangdam­rongtham, deputy chief of staff for the 14th Military Circle, announced Dec. 16 that four routes have been set and the fare on any of them will be 10 baht. The order went into effect on Dec. 24.

 

The routes are Bali Hai Pier to Banglamung, the Charoen­rath Community in Naklua to Jomtien Beach, the Pattaya Second Road-Beach Road loop, and North Pattaya to Jomtien.

 

The requirement that fares on all these routes be set at 10 baht represents a reduction of half or more. A typical trip from North Pattaya to Jomtien Beach previously cost at least 20 baht.

 

Read more: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/army-formalizes-baht-bus-routes-cuts-fares-159701

PATTAYA MAIL 2016-12-30

[brewsterbudgen]

Oh. So the long thread about a price increase to 20 baht from 1 January was totally wrong!

[steve187]

would seem so,.

would this information tie in with this map someone posted the other day in a thread.

[mercman24]

so abviously he doesn't care about cutting a drivers wages in half then,i bet if it happened to him it would be a different story, or any of us come to that

[Fookhaht]

Now, if they would just tackle the Phuket transportation mafia next!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Gunna]

And still no plans for a route along Jomtien Beach 2nd road. Lots of new condos all the way down, plus markets, bars, restaurants etc.

Maybe officials/police own the Motorcy Taxi ranks and don't want to lose the income. No need to make it into a one way system like Pattaya, just get more traffic using 2nd road rather than Jomtien Beach road.

 

[Pdaz]

......

 

Happy New Year Cheap Charlies 

 

Now can only hope some of the damn baht bus drivers decide to give it up and get a real job..  Halving the amount of the blue nuisances would help solve the traffic woes...

[Jingthing]

It's not really much of a fare cut as most rides in town have been 10 baht for many years now. Some long rides are generally charged 20 baht, such as Jomtien to Naklua But it seems to be saying we can now reliably get from Pattaya to Jomtien for 10 baht without changing buses at the infamous South Pattaya baht bus queue. Have yet to see this ... hope so!

 

As far as drivers suffering poverty, I think not really, but I think the idea of better, more predictable service is a good one, and wonder if the drivers finances could be subsidized to a limited extent via something like hotel taxes. Think of all the benefit it is to businesses all over town to have cheap, wide, frequent, and predictable transport, for both customers and workers. It's something worth preserving, expanding, and  improving on for the overall good of the public, Thai and foreign. 

[yellowboat]

52 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It's not really much of a fare cut as most rides in town have been 10 baht for many years now. Some long rides are generally charged 20 baht, such as Jomtien to Naklua But it seems to be saying we can now reliably get from Pattaya to Jomtien for 10 baht without changing buses at the infamous South Pattaya baht bus queue. Have yet to see this ... hope so!

 

As far as drivers suffering poverty, I think not really, but I think the idea of better, more predictable service is a good one, and wonder if the drivers finances could be subsidized to a limited extent via something like hotel taxes. Think of all the benefit it is to businesses all over town to have cheap, wide, frequent, and predictable transport, for both customers and workers. It's something worth preserving, expanding, and  improving on for the overall good of the public, Thai and foreign. 

But the Army has to be involved ?  Is there no transportation body competent enough to sort this out ? 

 A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lao_tzu_2.html

[JHolmesJr]

Fantastic news….I am loving this general more and more. Well done Sir.

[fforest1]

2 hours ago, Pdaz said:

......

 

Happy New Year Cheap Charlies 

 

Now can only hope some of the damn baht bus drivers decide to give it up and get a real job..  Halving the amount of the blue nuisances would help solve the traffic woes...

 

You Sir your mouth is flapping but you know nothing of what

you speak...

Driving a taxi for 10-12 hours a day is very hard work....

Its a very real job...

 

The baht buses keep the traffic down by carrying a lot a

people,so they do not have to have their own vehicle.... 

[bodymassagemyfriend]

FINALLY! They did it. Like in most cities in the world.

 

This will contribute to less congestion since it reduce the Entropy ( cahos) and frustration how having to change of coach at random time.

 

The next OBVIOUS step is to have one of the many lanes reserved for TAxi and bhat bus to dramatically reduce trip time and congestion.

Then Taxi will make more money because of faster rotation. Better to charge 10 bhat on a dedicated track than 20 but stuck in traffic cahos.

 

Then next OBVIOUS step is to have a flashcode to :

 

- report a rating on Taxi service without fearing to be beaten by the driver i.e. the 21th century tools

-inquire about the line direction fare price and time tables.

 

An finally ... have a REAL bus ;-)

[champers]

57 minutes ago, bodymassagemyfriend said:

FINALLY! They did it. Like in most cities in the world.

 

This will contribute to less congestion since it reduce the Entropy ( cahos) and frustration how having to change of coach at random time.

 

The next OBVIOUS step is to have one of the many lanes reserved for TAxi and bhat bus to dramatically reduce trip time and congestion.

Then Taxi will make more money because of faster rotation. Better to charge 10 bhat on a dedicated track than 20 but stuck in traffic cahos.

 

Then next OBVIOUS step is to have a flashcode to :

 

- report a rating on Taxi service without fearing to be beaten by the driver i.e. the 21th century tools

-inquire about the line direction fare price and time tables.

 

An finally ... have a REAL bus ;-)

And then he woke up.

[dddave]

People never seem to appreciate what they have until it's gone.  The Baht Bus system in Pattaya seems to me to be one of the quickest, cheapest and most efficient urban transport systems anywhere.  Where else can you go to the curb and usually within 2 minutes be on your way for up to a 3 or 4 km trip for the equivalent of .30 cents US.  For as densely populated a community as Pattaya and surrounding areas are, baht buses move a huge number of people to where they want to go every day with very few mishaps.  I read constant whinging about the drivers but in my 10 plus years of visiting Pattaya and using baht buses regularly, I have had hardly any incidences of rude behavior by drivers...much more often by ignorant passengers.

It would not bother me at all to see the fare go to B20...what else in Thailand are you paying the same for that you paid 10 years ago?  The drivers deserve a living wage and 20 baht is still damn cheap compared to almost any other place in the world.  

[Pdaz]

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

 

You Sir your mouth is flapping but you know nothing of what

you speak...

Driving a taxi for 10-12 hours a day is very hard work....

Its a very real job...

 

The baht buses keep the traffic down by carrying a lot a

people,so they do not have to have their own vehicle.... 

 

Pretty funny as I was a mini cab driver for 18 months in my younger days. So I have a pretty good idea about the work. It hardly compares with the lazy, belligerent and dangerous knobs they have here driving baht buses ( okay there may be the occasional good egg but they are few a far between and run by a mafia ) 

If you bothered to look you would see many of the baht buses are empty or only carry one or two passengers. Less baht buses would consolidate their loading, reduce vehicles and possibly allow each driver to earn more per day. 

Or do you actually believe that anyone unable to to immediately board a baht bus will magic up a private car... Give me break.. 

[patekatek]

Perhaps the army should post a couple of their men at the bus station in north Pattaya to enforce the 10 baht fare rule.   The vulture baht bus drivers there seem to be able to operate with no regard to laws or rules.

[melvinmelvin]

13 minutes ago, patekatek said:

Perhaps the army should post a couple of their men at the bus station in north Pattaya to enforce the 10 baht fare rule.   The vulture baht bus drivers there seem to be able to operate with no regard to laws or rules.

 

Or perhaps the army should focus on tanks and rifles and leave public transport to others.

 

Skeptical about army officers messing around with issues they know little about.

 

[fforest1]

22 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

Or perhaps the army should focus on tanks and rifles and leave public transport to others.

 

Skeptical about army officers messing around with issues they know little about.

 

 

Agree 100%....

[champers]

In case you hadn't noticed, the army are running the whole country. They can do what they like how they like when they like  and where they like. Do you think they care what you or I think? 

[melvinmelvin]

have noticed

 

yes, I assume they can

 

no, I don't think they care particularly

 

---

 

still, it is not a good idea that they mess with public transport in Patts (or other places)

 

[Pdaz]

Well the "allegedly" corrupt former local administration weren't able to organise public transport, sort out the mafia, rid us of coaches or sort out the parking/rental scooter fiasco. So to my mind the military has made a lot of progress.. 

[scubascuba3]

No mention of the Soi Buakhao impact? I'm not sure its even on the map on post #3

[fforest1]

B

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

No mention of the Soi Buakhao impact? I'm not sure its even on the map on post #3

 

There is huge demand for Baht Buses on Soi Bukow...

[tazly]

8 hours ago, fforest1 said:

 

You Sir your mouth is flapping but you know nothing of what

you speak...

Driving a taxi for 10-12 hours a day is very hard work....

Its a very real job...

 

The baht buses keep the traffic down by carrying a lot a

people,so they do not have to have their own vehicle.... 

Why not use bigger city-style buses...more passengers, less traffic?

 

 

[Rhys]

happy new years wishing for safer driving behaviors

[wiko]

21 minutes ago, tazly said:

Why not use bigger city-style buses...more passengers, less traffic?

 

 

 

 

I guess you are new in town.

 

Didn't you notice the large red bus stop signs all over the city, and wondered where the buses were?

[hawker9000]

13 hours ago, mercman24 said:

so abviously he doesn't care about cutting a drivers wages in half then,i bet if it happened to him it would be a different story, or any of us come to that

"Obviously doesn't care about... [blah blah blah]"??  What in the world are you babbling about?  The fares have been 10 baht forever.   He's actually just undoing the forecast doubling of fares to 20 baht.  'Probably a bit of a challenge from that barstool, but get your facts straight first before embarrassing yourself with the uninformed sermonizing.

 

[54321]

8 hours ago, dddave said:

People never seem to appreciate what they have until it's gone.  The Baht Bus system in Pattaya seems to me to be one of the quickest, cheapest and most efficient urban transport systems anywhere.  Where else can you go to the curb and usually within 2 minutes be on your way for up to a 3 or 4 km trip for the equivalent of .30 cents US.  For as densely populated a community as Pattaya and surrounding areas are, baht buses move a huge number of people to where they want to go every day with very few mishaps.  I read constant whinging about the drivers but in my 10 plus years of visiting Pattaya and using baht buses regularly, I have had hardly any incidences of rude behavior by drivers...much more often by ignorant passengers.

It would not bother me at all to see the fare go to B20...what else in Thailand are you paying the same for that you paid 10 years ago?  The drivers deserve a living wage and 20 baht is still damn cheap compared to almost any other place in the world.  

I find it odd saying 20 baht is cheap compared to almost any other place in the world. Maybe it is, but this is thailand. 20 baht will buy a lot more than it could in many other places in the world. 20 baht for a 2-3 km journey in india would be expensive, 20 baht in the Uk and you couldn't even step into a taxi. It would not bother me to pay 20 baht, but I do not earn the thai minimum wage. Try earning the minimum wage and see what 20 baht means to you. Do you know how many 10 bahts they take in a day? I suspect it is enough to earn a living

[scubascuba3]

B
 
There is huge demand for Baht Buses on Soi Bukow...

Strange that on the thai "press release" Soi Buakhao isn't mentioned or shown on the map, and we know baht buses stopped temporarily 24th

[KittenKong]

I think it's excellent that the army is injecting some common sense and order into bahtbus routes and pricing. 10B within Pattaya is more than enough when compared to the cost of travel on big and small buses on other routes and allows drivers to earn a reasonable income.

 

I also like the way the army is forcing bahtbus drivers not to block the corner of Beach Road near Walking Street, and other corners, and thus causing massive tailbacks of traffic.

 

Many Thais are very greedy and selfish and need to be forced to behave with respect to others, just like little children in kindergarten need to be taught how to behave. The army is finally doing this, and more power to them.