Bell Travel Service bus to both Airports & Bangkok...

[travelerjim]

I have used Bell Travel Service....
excellent on-time service and only 150 baht from
your Pattaya hote/condo to the NEW Bangkok Airport...

This posting appeared on Ting&Tongs Gay Thailand board ...
Atri had asked Bell Travel Service about their schedules...
here is their reply:

http://www.gaytingtong.com/topic1745.ht ... 20b5ab8f9b (http://www.gaytingtong.com/topic1745.html?sid=1776cf8ba2a1dbafc4c9da20b5ab8f9 b) .

Here the actual and correct informations directly from the company.

"Dear atri,

Thank you for your inquiries.

Our bus schedules from Suvarnabhumi airport to Pattaya are as follow:
8.00/10.00/12.00/14.00/16.00/18.00 hrs.

The fare is 150 baht/trip/person and it includes the company's
transportation to your hotel in Pattaya city.

At Suvarnabhumi airport, our staff will be waiting for you on 1st Floor
gate#7 next to Tourist Police counter, holding a small sign of "Pattaya -
Bell Travel Service". Then she will lead you to the bus which is parked
right outside the terminal. Her contact number is +66(0)89-449-8843.

If you have planed for your return trip back to Suvarnabhumi airport, Don
Muang airport or hotels in Bangkok, you may reserve your seat at the same
time via this e-mail.

The bus will leave from Pattaya Bus Terminal at 6.00 am, 9.00 am and every 2
hours until 19.00 pm. However, there are only 3 bus departure times that
have connecting transportation to hotels in Bangkok city. Those are at 9.00
am, 13.00 pm and 17.00 pm.

The fare to Suvarnabhumi airport is150 baht/trip/person, to Don Muang
airport is 350 baht/trip/person and to hotels in Bangkok is 300
baht/trip/person. These fares include pick-up and drop-off services directly
from and to your hotels in both cities.

It would be great if you could reserve the seat in advance, please provide
us your name, date & time of your journey, flight no & its arrival time and
your destination. Then I will arrange the transportation for you.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you have more queries, please
do not hesitate to contact me via this e-mail.


Best regards,
Ms Sirisong Haewan

Bell Travel Service Co.,Ltd

Tel. Bangkok Office: 02-747-4673, 02-747-4675
Tel. Pattaya Office: 038-370-055, 038-370-056

Suvarnabhumi airport:
Contact number is +66(0)89-449-8843 "


The email is rrc_bus@hotmail.com
for reservation and information.

----------------------

Atri said:

November i will try it.

-----------------------

I have and I liked it :-)

TJ

I have also used Bell's Travel Service bus to and from Pattaya and the new airport. If your airline itinerary coincides with the bus schedule, it is a very good value. A car/taxi will be at least 1,200 baht as opposed to 150 baht. The half dozen times that I have used Bell's service, they have been on time, they had clean, maintained buses and the air conditioning was perfect. The trip was a little under two hours, but I am sure traffic could change that timing. All in all, it is a great service.

Synchronicity, TravelerJim -- I just used Bell Travel today for the first time from the airport to Pattaya (Jomtien actually).

I had the information from the ThaiVisa.com forum, so knew where to find the Bell Travel lady (Door #7, 1st floor ... same level as metered taxis). However, I could not find her, so I asked security guards just outside Door #7, at the bus desk at Door #8, and at the Police counter indoors by Door #7, and everybody told me to take the shuttle bus to the Transportation Center. I knew that was incorrect, but luckily had the Bell Travel telephone number and called. The gal at Bell Travel said the Bell Travel lady at the airport was sitting directly across from me, so I looked up and sure enough, she was waving and smiling at me.

I told her my experience, that nobody working at the airport knew who/where she was, and she said it's because the airport (AOT?) wants everybody to use a different bus service. I suggested that her boss pay some "tea money" privately and she lamented: "They want too much money!"

So, I guess Bell Travel is operating in kind of a grey unofficial capacity.

That said, however, I recommend them. Not only for the low price: door-to-door service for only B150, but because they are being kept out of the market.

Ironically, I saw her chatting amicably with the same officer at the Police counter whom I had asked for assistance. Obviously he knows her, and knows what she does, but not for one moment would he let on to me that he did. <sigh>

If you do make an advance reservation, look for your name on a signboard. At various times, she walked around with it, other times she sat down with the sign taped to the seat next to her, and for a while she pushed a luggage trolley around with the sign taped to it.

One disclosure about the door-to-door service to your condo/hotel in Pattaya/Jomtien: Between the airport and the bus terminal on North Pattaya Road, Bell uses a big bus (coach), but between that bus terminal and your home/hotel, they use a mini-van, so a change of vehicle is required. But, for B150, what do you expect?

To help you find her, here's a (poor quality ... sorry!) picture I surreptitiously took of her -- she's seated on the left. She said she's there every day, and wears the purple striped blouse. She's not tall -- notice that when she's seated, her feet don't touch the floor. Maybe that will help someone find her without the runarounds I got?

[Shuee]

thanks TJ & co

do you think after leaving the airport, that Bell Travel would pick you up from your hotel in BKK??

[TrongpaiExpat]

I told her my experience, that nobody working at the airport knew who/where she was, and she said it's because the airport (AOT?) wants everybody to use a different bus service. I suggested that her boss pay some "tea money" privately and she lamented: "They want too much money!"

In the West going to information counters for good advise is most always easy and reliable but in Thailand it seems to be quite common to get either wrong advise or be directed to something that costs more.

One I asked at the bus station information counter where the bus to Ko Chang was located and was told that I had to go to Trat and was directed to that desk. I turned around and saw the direct bus to Ko Chang and was told that the info man's boss wanted tea money to direct customers to the direct bus. What was a little strange is that the bus to Ko Chang was a government bus and the info counter was run I assume by the government too.

do you think after leaving the airport, that Bell Travel would pick you up from your hotel in BKK??

I do not believe that Bell Travel provides pick-up service from your BKK hotel, but you might want to call their office and find out for sure. The numbers again are:

Bell Travel Service Co.,Ltd
Tel. Bangkok Office: 02-747-4673, 02-747-4675
Tel. Pattaya Office: 038-370-055, 038-370-056

The way to do it Dear, is to head up to Departures from the arrival floor and walk out to where taxis are dropping off passengers. Say Pattaya 800B, and you will be on your way, including tolls. There is no time for taxis to linger up here as the traffic police move them on quickly, Pet. It is very rare to be turned down, as it is a fast trip down the motorway, and the driver gets time away from bangkok traffic and loads of 60B fares, Honey.

[thrillbill]

I have used Bell Travel bus service to the new airport three times and have been very pleased ...and yes, they do pick you up at your apartment/hotel in Pattaya. Their new office is next to the North Pattaya bus station. The bus is clean and in good shape. I understand returning (from the airport to Pattaya ) they need to get their act together...sometimes it is hard to locate the Bell Travel reps at the airport. I hope more people used this service; for, it's a nice choice to have other than the unpredictable taxi drivers.

The way to do it Dear, is to head up to Departures from the arrival floor and walk out to where taxis are dropping off passengers. Say Pattaya 800B, and you will be on your way, including tolls. There is no time for taxis to linger up here as the traffic police move them on quickly, Pet. It is very rare to be turned down, as it is a fast trip down the motorway, and the driver gets time away from bangkok traffic and loads of 60B fares, Honey.


Thanks for the information, honey child. I did not know that.

[thrillbill]

I'm a slow "learner" but when you do negotiate the price for the taxi (and 800 baht may be possible) or from downtown BKK the price is from 1000 baht to 1200baht (high season) be sure to say that you'll pay the toll yourself...WHY? -Because it is around 95 baht for taking the tolls from central BKK to Chanburi. If the price includes the expessway, then the taxi driver may NOT get on the expressway until he is out of BKK or not even get on. Same with taking these 800 baht taxis from Pattaya returning to BKK. IF the 800 baht includes the expessway, knock off a 100 baht and say that you'll pay the toll yourself or you may find your taxi gettting off the tollway earlier than expected. This is the biggest f@cking hassle I have in taking taxis between Pattaya and BKK.

[atri1666]

For the future it will be history for me to take taxi or book expensive transfer. Within 24 hours i got my confirmation from bell-travel for transfer airport to my hotel in pattaya and back to airport for 150 baht each travel. 08.30 am they pick us up from the hotel in pattaya to get the bus at 9am to the airport. The lady wrote me they also pick up in bangkok and bring the passengers to bangkok for 300 baht. I arrive at noon and take the bus at 2pm-enough time for all formalities and take coffee.

I have used Bell Travel bus service to the new airport three times and have been very pleased ...and yes, they do pick you up at your apartment/hotel in Pattaya. Their new office is next to the North Pattaya bus station. The bus is clean and in good shape. I understand returning (from the airport to Pattaya ) they need to get their act together...sometimes it is hard to locate the Bell Travel reps at the airport. I hope more people used this service; for, it's a nice choice to have other than the unpredictable taxi drivers.

Agree in fully. Bell Travel Service is truly excellent.

Do they charge 50 baht more for pick-up service? Last year, I made a 6 am reservation with pick-up from the Flamingo Hotel in the Day/Night area. I handed the driver 150 baht and he said the fare was 200 baht. On the return trip from the airport to my hotel it was only 150 baht. Is this still the case?

[atri1666]

The driver can try but on my confirmation the lady says 150 baht per direction from and to pattaya incl. the pickups. When he demands 200 baht he can enjoy my friendly smileing and a copy of the confirmation. Normally i would give tip but in this case he will get nothing.

[Shuee]

FYI just had email reply from bell travel;

from Bangkok hotel to Pattaya hotel, there are 3 departure times
9.30am, 1.30pm and 5.30pm from our office. You have to make reservation for
mini van pick up time from your hotel. It takes about 2.30 hours to get in
Pattaya.

note this is mini van & note the main bus?

Do they charge 50 baht more for pick-up service? Last year, I made a 6 am reservation with pick-up from the Flamingo Hotel in the Day/Night area. I handed the driver 150 baht and he said the fare was 200 baht. On the return trip from the airport to my hotel it was only 150 baht. Is this still the case?

150 TBT is from Bangkok Aiport to door step Pattaya hotel or vice versa. I've never been asked to pay something extra.

Mini van are operating from and to the large busses. Busses operate between Pattaya and airport.

Actually I would'n mind paying 200 or 250 TBT for this still excellent service.