Bangkok Bus Map

[Bruce551]

Encourage foreigners to use local buses

Published: 16/07/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Re: the bus agency's new high-tech tracking system to be installed in 100 city buses in a new pilot programme. Most people also know about the plan to spend big money on leasing a huge new fleet of buses. With all of these big plans for expensive improvements in Bangkok's bus system, it continues to amaze me that they have done practically nothing to encourage the usage of buses by the city's foreign community over the past four years.

Bangkok is still one of the few major international cities I know of with no maps of their bus routes on their website.

Why have they still not spent a single baht to help internet users plan a route from point A to point B by navigating online maps?

Such improvements could certainly be made at a fraction of the cost of most of their other new improvement programmes, and it would definitely encourage more people to take advantage of public buses.

In addition, most Bangkok buses have no English destination signs visible at all on the front, back or side. Most buses seem to be covered on all sides with Thai language writing indicating the destinations, but absolutely nothing in English.

Bangkok's foreign population is huge. Whether from America, India, Japan, Korea, England, the Congo or Iran, the vast majority of us share one thing in common: we can speak English, (and maybe a little Thai) but we can't read Thai.

It is past time for the BMTA to make the improvements necessary to encourage more ridership from foreigners. Bangkok's air quality would certainly benefit, foreigners travel budget and frustration levels would benefit, and the BMTA's earnings would certainly benefit.

FRUSTRATED FOREIGN TRAVELLER

:idea: TF genius girls should make BKK TF Bus Map for the lost and bewildered.

I'll start, I think bus # 551 or 552 take you to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Victory Monument.

[Neo]

OMG... you mean they could be making money from people riding on the busses instead of pocketing billions in government scams? :shock:

Slow down there Brucie, you're rocking the boat. 8)

[Hobbes]

Bus No. 40: Siam Square - Sukhumvit - Predi Phanomyong - Ramkhamhaeng - and onwards

Bus No. 60, 93, 99, 113: Ramkhamhaeng - Phetchaburi Rd. - Pratunam - and onwards

:rotate: :sweatdrop:

[digitalcat]

I SAW ONE BEING SOLD SOMEWHERE I CAN PUT IT ONLINE AND MAKE $$$ JING JING?

thanks guys!!!

[LakeGeneve]

The article has some incorrect info but it is true that no consideration is given to provide easy and efficient system and individual route info. Basically, the assumption is that only the poor and lower middle class only use buses as most 'important' thais would not be caught dead on a bus so why bother for the few 'adventerous farang'.

The other side of the problem is that Public Transport Management and Policy is a such a dysfunctional and uncoordinated mess in this city involving multiple national and provincial state agencies (MOT, OTP, BMTA, SRT, MRTA etc) who compete with each other and operate in their own beaurocractic void. Even for those monitoring the implementation of new services it can be hard to get clear info as to what is going on - witness the fact that both BMA and OTP have rival BRT route plans for BKK!

Throw in the private bus operators, BMTA licensed mini-vans, BTSC and BMCL and it is the usual thai chaos. One day there may be one govt agency running and managing all public transport in BKK but that is far away in another galaxy.

For bus maps, the best map of Bangkok by far, and for general purposes, is the colourful Bus Routes & Map 5th Edition which can be purchased at most bookshops. Costs 50 baht and published by Bangkok Guide Technology. (The Thai edition comes with an extra booklet which gives greater route info).

I humbly believe it is the best map for visitors to BKK and I give it to friends when they need a map to understand the city. Most other BKK maps just concentrate on tourist areas or are very poor in overall geographic info.

Easy to use, full list of BMTA & private bus routes with a summary of the route with some larger scale inserts for high use areas eg, silom , victory. The 6th edition should be coming out soon since the new white Metro Buses routes started last year.

The Bangkok Bus Map by Roadway is ok but tends to give less info and is constructed of smaller sectional maps of the city.

There used to be some basic bus route maps on the BMTA website but they are not there anymore and the website is crap and not much use, www.bmta.co.th

[LakeGeneve]

:idea: TF genius girls should make BKK TF Bus Map for the lost and bewildered.

I'll start, I think bus # 551 or 552 take you to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Victory Monument.

No need to make a map a good one already exists as above mentioned.

The 551 does go to the Transport Centre of the Airport and then you take the Express Shuttle to the terminal.

However, from the same NE corner of Victory you can take a new mini van for 40 baht which is must quicker and more comfortable but the catch is that you have to wait for it to fill up (16 pax) so you can wait 5-20 mins depending on what time of day it is. Again, to the Transport Center 2kms from the airport terminal. No space for more than a trolley case though.

Once the bloody Airport Line opens it will be a quick 30 min 50 baht ride from Phaya Thai station or 20 mins, 150 baht express with check in from the CAT at Makkasan. Soft opening for 5 Dec with real opening mid next year (original opening date was Dec 07!).

Indeed, if your planning to take public transport to any part of outer BKK (Bang Na, Minburi, Rama 2, Pakred etc) or a city 1-2 hrs outside BKK (Lopburi, Hua Hin, Saraburi, Kanchananburi, Bang Saen to name a few) then the various mini vans, usually new, around Victory are quick and cheap and save a lot of time going to the Intercity Bus terminals (Mo Chit 2, Ekkamai and esp the new badly located Southern Bus Terminal way out near Taling Chan).

[Hugo]

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/travel.php