Many times traveled in Thailand by bus and always good buses come across, even second-class. Apparently I’m not at all fastidious, I need little space, and I wrap myself in full program from air conditioners. But once it happened that the bus first class turned out to be absolutely no, the only advantage in it there was a toilet. This is due to the fact that the tickets were only for the most rear seats, which, as it turned out, do not decompose! Imagine a night bus, and the seat is only in a sitting position. may be. Plus, the top of the barrel mercilessly and close this stream there was nothing of icy air, although this is often the case meets, and so I always have a hoodie with me, but this once and she did not save. Honestly, did not pull this bus to the first class, maximum for the second, and he was some old one. It’s a pity I didn’t remember the name of the bus company—
In order to avoid such punctures in the future, I tried to it is possible without knowledge of Thai, learn about bus classes companies in more detail at the bus station, and how and on what it is worth driving. It is clear that everything flows and changes, but still.
The content of the article
- 1 Buying a bus ticket
- 1.1 How to buy a ticket online online
- 1.2 Algorithm for buying a ticket on the spot
- 2 About buses in Thailand
- 2 1 What are the buses
- 2.2 Classes of bus tickets
- 3 Specific Bus Companies
- 3.1 Nakonchai Air (NCA)
- 3.2 Sombat tour (The Psombat tour)
- 3.3 Transport (Goverment) 999 – state buses
- 4 Transfers from Khaosan
- 5 Transfers from travel agencies
Contents
Buying a bus ticket
How to buy a ticket online online
There are sites of some bus companies where you can book a ticket, but not convenient and incomprehensible completely. TO For example, at the famous Nakonchai Eir bus company site on Thai, fig figure it out. Therefore, most often go to bus station and buy there. Although someone, and it may be difficult because you have to explain on your fingers what you need (if English do not know). This is especially true when you need a ticket. not on Phuket any, but somewhere where you don’t really pronounce can, or say, but you do not understand. Here you will walk from checkout to checkout and try to explain where to go.
Recently there was a site (Russian, English) where you can book and buy a bus / train ticket – 12GO.asia. Now This is the only service where there is such an opportunity. Very comfortably, It is a pity that while not all directions are there, only popular ones. Payment by card or paypal. Electronic bus ticket.
Bus tickets →
Algorithm for buying a ticket on the spot
I selected a certain algorithm for myself if I want to go as comfortable as possible on night buses. But generally buses in Taes are generally excellent, especially after our dead long-distance Ikarus in some areas. I will never forget, as in Altai on the wreck (standing!) 10 hours drove among a crowd of people, or, as water flowed to the head on the way to the Crimea and the seat did not lean back backwards
In principle, this algorithm is also suitable for purchase through Internet, but when you personally see in the ticket office a picture of the bus and location of places, it is somehow easier to navigate. Draw note that the scheme is conditional.
- We try to buy a ticket with a minimum number of seats in the bus, approximately 24 seats (may vary slightly depending on companies). The class can be both the first and the VIP, again Depends on how the company called it. About classes I am even lower I will tell you. If possible, come to the station and buy tickets the day before departure, so guaranteed to be a choice of seats in most companies.
- If there are no such tickets anywhere, then we go around the neighboring ticket offices. looking for a lower class. That is, we are looking for tickets for any VIP bus.
- If there are no VIPs anywhere, then we are trying to leave for the first class and further to second. Here it is necessary to pay attention to whether there are room numbers on the bus and whether they will be indicated on tickets. Usually you are shown on a computer before you buy places are free, and you can poke a finger and choose. If this is not happened then this is the first reason to be worried that places will be engage in fact. And I would not recommend to go without this seats on the ticket, as you have to make your way to the front bus and take place not at the very end. Actually, this and is a problem – you should not ride on the most rear seats, because you can get as I wrote in the first paragraph articles.
When you travel several times in the same direction, then you can remember a certain algorithm with the names of the bus companies. For example, for the direction Bangkok – Chiang Mai, I have такой: Sombat tour (Vip 24, Vip 32) => Nakonchai Air (First,Gold) => Transport 999 (Vip) => другие компании.
About buses in Thailand
What are the buses
Intercity buses look like this, there are also double decker
Bus from Nakonchai Air
Local buses can be very colorful
Minibass in Thailand
Classes of bus tickets
I myself once wrote that there are three classes: VIP, First and Second, according to the degree of loss of comfort. Air conditioners are everywhere, but here is the toilet only in the first two, yes the last class buses narrower as a rule. However, not everything is so simple and obvious with classes. First, because bus companies may have own gradations (examples below), and secondly, because VIP-First class is very different from just First.
For example, there may be such gradations: – First class vip 24 seats (3 seats in a row, wide) – First class vip 32 seats (4 seats in a number of) – Second class 40 seats (and also more than 42.47, 50), usually referred to simply as second.
Or: – VIP-24 – VIP-32 – First
Or: – First (1st) – Second (2nd)
Based on the list, the easiest way would be to specify the number seats on the bus before buying a ticket, it should always work no matter how the bus company called it your class. Often they can simply write, they say First class, that doesn’t really mean anything. But if you know the number of places in bus, the picture is clearer. If 24 or 32 seats in the bus, then the middle-sized person will not be close, and the class will be match the level of comfort. The main difference of the highest class (24 seats) from the rest – 3 seats in a row (2 + 1), not 2 + 2.
It is also sometimes attached to the window of the bus company picture bus, it is also possible to draw conclusions. So for maximum comfort choose: the minimum number of seats (about 24), the most expensive ticket, VIP prefix to the class. By the way, in the VIP buses usually include a meal on one of the tickets. stops.
Pictures of the classes of a company
In many VIP bass issue plaid, juice, water, snacks, napkins
Specific bus companies
A few specific examples, with prices, classes and descriptions. Prices are for reference purposes only in the direction of Bangkok. – Chiang Mai, path length 750 km, 1 baht ~ 1 rub. According to others directions, such as southern, bus companies will by others.
Nakonchai Air (NCA)
First Class (21 seats) – 876 baht Gold class (32 seats) – 657 baht Silver class (40 seats) – does not take the BKK-FM route Economy class (47 seats) – does not take the BKK-ChM route http://www.nca.co.th/
Tickets to the first class, really buy only 2-3 weeks before departure, and I personally do not like this option, so I went only Gold. So, I personally also liked the Gold class, although there are no massage chairs in it, as in the first, and more seats narrow (4 pieces in a row). There is a toilet, there is enough space, a seat laid out almost horizontally, each blanket distributed water, snacks and boots. Silver and Econom did not try, it seems to me that they are offered only on short destinations, when not so long go.
This company has its own bus terminals, but, as a rule, the bus station also has their ticket office, if the terminal is far away, and call in they are also on regular bus stations, too, to pick up passengers.
Nakonchai Air
Inside the VIP-32 cabin from Nakonchai Air
Sombat tour (The Psombat tour)
Vip-24 – 789 baht Vip-32 – 657 baht First class (40 seats) – 563 bat http://www.sombattour.com/
Judging by the responses of the Thais at the box office bus, they have much more flights than with Nakonchai Air, and therefore their tickets are much easier buy. From personal experience: on the day of departure there were all classes Bangkok – Chiang Mai route, while at Nakonchai Eir in general there were no tickets. Eyewitnesses say that he is no less than Okay, just the seats are not leather, and this is even a plus, since you do not slip on them at night. And in the VIP class just as In the first from Nakonchai there are massage chairs.
Bus company Sombat Tour
Inside the cabin VIP-24 from Sombat Tour, 3 seats in a row, massage chairs, TVs
Inside the cabin VIP-32 from Sombat Tour, 4 seats in a row
Transport (Goverment) 999 – state buses
Vip 876 baht (20.00, 21.00) First class 563 baht (18.30, 21.40, 23.00) Second class 438 baht
State buses, and they drove them more often. Drove on all classes, except VIP, everything suited me. In the first two classes give water and snacks, and there is a toilet. For me one of the best options the more they go in all directions in Thailand.
Transfers from Khao San
Many people write that you cannot ride buses from Khaosan, since these buses are purely tourist and you can come to the point destination without your baggage or only part of it. I will say myself I didn’t check it because I always drive from bus stations, even though last time and did not know about these horror stories. Only once drove from the railway station Hua Lamphong, since there were already no tickets on the train in a recumbent car. There was only one of the jambs – overpayment 1.5-2 times for a bus ticket, although the bus itself was good and luggage problems no one had. But I have this As a rule, I never hand over anything valuable in a bus laptop, camera and all accessories go with me to the cabin.
I also want to note that this problem in theory should not touch the mini-bass from Khaosan, since the luggage is all visible there, and wrote on the forums only about stealing in night buses. All okay with the company lomprayya that sells bus tickets + ferry from Chumpon (this is for those who need to Koh Samui, Phangan, or Tao), she had her own buses and no complaints about her.
They also write that logistics suffers, especially when moving includes steam. Some travel with 10 transfers with many hours of waiting at the transfer point. Sometimes part of the way to a good bus, and a part almost on a pickup songteo, and so on. So that I wouldn’t trust buses that sell on Khao San. And in general, I recommend everyone to always go to the state bus terminals of Bangkok.
Transfers from Khao San Road in Bangkok
Travel Agency Transfers
Again, horror stories go only about travel agencies on Khaosan, does it mean if you buy a bus ticket is not there, but somewhere in another place or city, it’s not a fact that problems will arise. AT Anyway, it’s worth finding out how someone is already a traveler. traveled in this direction. But I’m in any case for the state buses in most cases. Although I myself recently traveled with Koh Chang to Bangkok transfer and was pleased with everything. The bus was good comfortable, there was enough space, things arrived safe and sound, there were no extra transplants, we arrived very quickly.
P.S. And you can read on the blog of our friends – How use the railway of Thailand, very good and detailed article. Or, you can see here on my blog, I also wrote about classes of cars, cost and purchase of tickets.
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