Thailand Buses

The bus service in Thailand is worth commenting. Buses travel throughout the country. The name of the government’s bus company is BKS i.e. Baw Kaw Saw. This Transport Company has a terminal in every town. These buses are best if you compare their price and comfort with others. Several private bus companies are there. But these are not that reliable in terms of schedules, amenities, and safety. Don’t believe in non-government VIP buses because they are also pretty unreliable.

Some of the basic types of buses are local, express, second class, first class, VIP and S-VIP buses.

Local: These buses are relatively slow and can be cramped when full. These buses stop at every village and cowshed along the way. Many of the buses are of larger songthaew flavor. The local buses are not at all suitable for long-distance travel. But of course you can travel locally at very cheap rates.

Express: These buses skip some stops, but no other frills. Express buses can be identifiable by their orange color. Usually size varies but generally one normal sized bus has 65 sitting arrangements.

Second class: Second class buses skip more stops, but often take a less direct route than 1st class, VIP or S-VIP buses. These are Blue and white with an orange stripe. Normally 45-48 seats are there in each bus. In this air conditioned buses some provide blankets while some do not. Most of the buses have no on-board toilet but the frequency of stops helps a lot.

First class: These buses take the most direct routes and make very few stops. First class buses are usually blue and white in color. Some of the other features can be mentioned as air conditioning, fewer seats i.e. 40, blankets, snack and drinking water included. Some of the double decker buses can contain 60 passengers. These buses have a toilet on board.

‘VIP’: These buses are as per first class that provides 32-34 seats. The buses are usually specious and have enough leg space.

‘S-VIP’: Super-VIP is very similar to VIP buses. These buses contain 24 seats, which are wider. Some of the buses may have TVs and sound systems. So, it is advisable to carry earplugs if you have any.