Public transport in Bangkok

The main form of transport in the city is buses, and once you’ve mastered the labyrinthine complexity of the route maps you will be able to get to any part of the city albeit slowly. Catching the various kinds of taxi is more expensive, and you will still get help up by the daytime traffic jams. Boats are obviously more limited in their range, but they are regular and as cheap as buses, and you will save a lot of time by using them whenever possible – a journey between Banglamphu and the GPO, for instance, will take around thirty minutes by water, half what it would take on land. The Skytrain and subway each have a similarly range but are also worth using whenever suitable for all or part of your journey; their networks roughly coincide with each other at the east end of Thanon Silom, at the corner of Thanon Sukhumvit and Soi 21 *Thanon Akok Montri), and on Thanon Phaholyothin by Chatuchak Park (Mo Chit), while the Skytrain joins up with the Chao Phraya River express boats at the vital hub of Sathorn/Saphan Taksin (Taksin Bridge) and the subway intersects the mainline railway at Hualamphong and Bang Sue stations. Walking night often is quicker than travelling by road, but the heat can be unbearable, distances are always further than they look on the map, and the engine fumes are stifling.

Buses

Bangkok is served by over four hundred buses routes, reputedly the world’s largest bus network, on which operate three main types of bus service. On ordinary (non-air-con) buses, which are red and white, blue and white, or small and green, fares range from B6 to B9; most routes operate from about 4am to 10pm, but some maintain a 24-hours service, as noted in the box overleaf. Air-conditioned buses are either blue, orange or white (some are articulated) and charge between B12 and B24 according to distance travelled; most stop in the late evening, but a few of the more popular routes run 24-hours. As buses can only go as fast as the car in front, which at the moment is averaging 4 km per hour, you will probably be spending a long time on each journey, so you’d be well advices to pay the extra for cool air- and the air-conditioned buses are usually less crowded, private microbuses, which were designed with the commuter in mid and offer the certainty of a seat (no standing allowed). The fare is generally a flat B25 (exact money only), which is dropped into a box beside the driver’s seat.

Boats

Bangkok was built as an amphibious city around a network of canals – or khlongs – and the first streets were constructed only in the second half of the nineteenth century. Many canals remain on the Thonburi side of the river, but most of those on the Bangkok side have been turned into roads. The Chao Phraya River itself is still a major transport route for residents and non-residents alike, forming more of a link than a barrier between the two halves of the city.

Express boats

The Chao Phraya Express Boat Company operates the vital express-boat service, using large water buses to plough up and down the river, between clearly signed piers (tha), which appear on all Bangkok maps. The Sathorn, which gives access to the Skytrain network at Saphan Taksin Station, has been designated “Central Pier”, with piers to the south of here numbered S1, S2, est., those to the north N1, N2 and so on. Its basic route, one hour thirty minutes in total, runs between Wat Rajsinkorn, just upriver of Krung Thep Bridge, in the south, and Nonthaburi in the north. These “standard” boats set off every fitheen-twenty minutes between around 6am and 7.30pm (6.40pm on Sat & Sun). Boats do not necessarily stop at every landing – they only pull in if people want to get on or off, and when they do stop, it’s not for long – so when you want to get off, be ready at the back of the boat in good time for your pier. During busy periods, certain “special express” boats operate limited stop services on set routes, flying either a blue flag (Nonthaburi to Tha Sathorn in 35min, stopping only at Wang Lang; Mon-Fri roughly 6-9am & 5-7pm), a yellow flag (Nonthaburi to Rajburana, far downriver beyond Krung Thep Bridge, in about 50 min; Mon-Fri roughly 6-9am & 7-730pm) or an orange flag (Nonthaburi to Wat Rajsingkorn in 1hr; Mon-Fri roughly 6-9am & 2.30-7pm).

Tickets can be bought on board, and cost B9-13 on standard boat according to distance travelled, B13 flat rate on range-flog boats, B18-27 on yellow-flag boats and B22-32 on blue-flag boats. Don’t discard your ticket until you are off the boat, as the staff at some piers imposes a B1 fine on anyone disembarking without one.

The Chao Phraya Express Boat Company also runs tourist boats, distinguished by their light-blue flags, between Sathorn (departs every 30min 9.30am-3pm on the hour and half-hour) and Banglamphu piers (depart every 30min 10am-3.30pm on the hour and half-hour). In between (in both directories), these boats call in at Priental, Si Phraya, Rachawongse, Saphan Phut, the Princess Mother Memorial Wang Lang; there are also free connecting boats from Tha Banglamphu across to the Royal Barge Museum. On-board guides provide running commentaries, and a one-day tickets for unlimited trips, which also allow you to use other express boats within the same route between 9am and 7.30pm, costs B100; one-way tickets are also available, coasting, for example B20 from Tha Sathorn to Maharaj.

Cross-river ferries

Smaller than express boats are the slow cross-river ferries (reua kham fak), which shuttle back and forth between the same two points. Found at or beside every express stop and plenty of other piers in between, they are especially useful for exploring Thonburi and for connections to Chao Phraya special express-boat stops during rush hours. Fares are B2-3, which you usually pay at the entrance to the pier.

Long-tail Boats

Long-tail boats (reua hang yao) ply the khlongs of Thonburi like commuter buses, stopping at designated shelters (fares are in line with those of express boats), and are available for individual rentals here and on the river. On the Bangkok side, Khlong Saeb Saeb is well served by longtail, which run at least every fifteen minutes during daylight hours from the Phan Fah pier at the Golden Mount (handy for Banglamphu, Ratanakosin and Chinatown), and head way out east to Wat Sribunruang, with useful stops at Thanon Phrayathai, aka Saphan Hua Chang ( for Jim Thompson’s House and Ratchathe Skytrain stop); Pratunam (for the Erawan Shrine); Soi Chitlom; Thanon Witthayu (Wireless Road); and Soi Nana (Soi 3), Thanon Asok Montri (Soi 21, for TAT headquarters and Pretchaburi subway stop), Soi Thonglo (Soi 55) and Soi Ekamai (Soi 63), all off Thanon Sukhumvit. This is your quickest and most interesting way of getting between the west and east parts of town, if you can stand the stench of the canal. You may have trouble actually locating the piers as few are signed in English and they all look very unassuming and rickets, most jetties server boats running in both directions. Once on boat, state your destination to the conductor when he collects your fare, which will be between B8 and B18. Due to the construction of some low bridges, all passengers change onto a different boat at Tha Pratunam and then again at the stop way out east on Sukhumvit Soi 71 – just follow the crowd.

The Skytrain

Although its network is limited, the BTS Skytrain (rot fai faa), provides a much faster alternative to the bus, and is clean, efficient and vigorously air-conditioned. There are only two Skytrain lines, both running every few minutes from around 6am to midnight, with fares of B10-40 per trip depending on distance travelled. You’d really have to be motoring to justify buying a day pass at B100, while the ten-trip, fifteen-trip and thirty-trip cards, for B250, B300 and B540 respectively (valid for thirty days), are designed for long-distance commuters.

The Sukhumvit Line runs from Mo Chit (stop #N8) in the northern part of the city (near Chatuchak Market and the Northern Bus Terminal) south via Victory Monument (N3) to the interchange, Central Station, at Siam Square, and then east along Thanon Ploenchit and Thanon Sukhumvit, via the Eastern Bus Terminal to the eastern end of town from Mo Chit takes around thirty minutes.

The Silom Line runs from the National Stadium (W1), just west of Siam Square, through Central Station, and then south along Thanon Rajdamri, Thanon Silom and Thanon Sathorn, via Sala Daeng near Patpong (S2), Saphan Taksin (Sathorn Bridge; S6), to link up with the full gamut of express boats on the Chao Phraya Rive. Free feeder buses for Skytrain pass-holders, currently covering six circular routes, mostly along Thanon Sukhumvit, are geared more for commuters than visitors, but pick up a copy of the ubiquitous free BTS map if you want more information.

The subway

Bangkok’s underground rail system, the subway (or metro; in Thai, rot fai tai din), has similar advantages to the Skytrain, though its current single line connects few places of interest for visitors. With fares of between B14 and B36, the subway runs a frequent service (every 2-7min) between around 6.30am and 11.30pm from Hualamphong train station, first heading east along Thanon Rama IV, with useful stops at Sam Yan (for Si Phraya and Phrayathai roads), Silom (near the Sala Daeng Skytrain station) and Lumphini (Thanon Sathorn/southeast corner of Lumphini Park). The line then turns north up Thanon Asok Montri/Thanon Ratchadapisek via the Queen Sirikit National (handy for Khlong Saen Saeb boats) and the Thailand Cultural Centre, before looking around via Chatuchak Park (near Mo Chit Skytrain station) and Kampaeng Phet (best stop for the weekend market) to terminate at Bang Sue railway station in the north of the city.

Taxis

Bangkok taxis come in three forms, and are so plentiful that you rarely have to wait more than a couple of minutes before spotting an empty one of any description. Neither tuk-tuks nor motorbike taxis have meters, so you should agree on a price before setting off, and expect to do a fair amount of haggling.

For nearly all journeys, the best and most comfortable option is to flag down one of Bangkok’s metered, air-conditioned taxi cabs; look out for the “TAXI METER” sign on the roof, and a red light in the windscreen in front of the passenger seat, which means the cab, is available for hire. Fares start at B35, and are displayed on a clearly visible meter that the driver should reset at the start of each trip, and increase in stages on a combined distance/time formula; as an example a medium-range journey from Thanon Ploenchit to Thanon Sathorn will cost around B50 at a quiet time of day. Try to have change with you as cabs tend not to carry a lot of money; tipping of up to ten percent is common, though occasionally a cabbie with round down the fare on the meter. If a driver tries to quote a flat fare rather than using the meter, let him go, and avoid the now-rare unmetered cabs. If you want to book a metered taxi (B20 surcharge), call Siam Taxi Co-operative on 1661 or Taxi Radio on 1681.

Somewhat less stable though typically Thai, tuk-tuks have little to recommend them. These noisy, three-wheeled, open-side buggies, which can carry three medium-sized passengers comfortably, fully expose you to the worst of Bangkok’s pollution and weather. Locals might use tuk-tuks for short journeys – though you will have to bargain hard to get a fare lower than the taxi-cab flag fall on B35 – while a longer trip from Thanon Ploenchit to Thanon Sathorn, for example, will set you back up to B100. Be aware, also, that tuk-tuk drivers tend to speak less English than taxi drivers – and there have been cases of robberies and attacks on women passengers late at night. During the day it’s quite common for tuk-tuks drivers to try and con their passengers into visiting and jeweler or expensive souvenir shop with them, for which they get a hefty commission; the usual tactic involves falsely informing tourists that the Grand Palace, or whatever their destination might be, is closed, and offering instead a ridiculously cheap, even free, city tour.