Bhat Bus routes

[Captain Swing]

It's perfectly possible to hail or jump on an empty baht bus and tell the driver your destination "non-stop" - and use him as a private taxi. For an appropriate and agreed fare of course!

Done this several times to avoid waiting for a stinking hot bus filling up outside the school - which can be a considerable time if not busy

He won't stop to pick up other passengers but you do have to prevent them hopping on to your exclusive baht bus at traffic lights etc.

I've done this, most memorably coming back from Jomtien. I didn't want to cram into a stuffed bus at the regular stop and I didn't want to face the walk from Second Rd. to my hotel. It was worth the 200 or 250 baht and, creep that I am, I especially liked seeing the uncomprehending looks on the porcine faces of a couple of Russians when the driver shooed them away from getting on.

More commonly, I did it a number of times with my BF in order to go somewhere not on the regular route.

[colmx]

First: nobody in Pattaya calls a Baht Bus a "baht bus".... its either a Songtaew or a "taxi"... have never EVER heard it being called a "baht bus"... except on these boards

I especially liked seeing the uncomprehending looks on the porcine faces of a couple of Russians when the driver shooed them away from getting on..

I like it even better when they get on board my Boystown to NAB Songtaew and my Thai/Khmer friends shoo them of and say that its a private hire...
Sweet revenge for the number of times I haven't been allowed onto a Pattaya to Jomtien Private hire!

[frequent]

First: nobody in Pattaya calls a Baht Bus a "baht bus".... its either a Songtaew or a "taxi"... have never EVER heard it being called a "baht bus"... except on these boards

Indeed - it's amazing how many posters can't spell "baht" - as in this thread's title (bhat"!!!) or quite often "bath" - although the latter may be the software the poster is using making an auto-correct to the spelling

[paborn]

[QUOTE=colmx;244378]First: nobody in Pattaya calls a Baht Bus a "baht bus".... its either a Songtaew or a "taxi"... have never EVER heard it being called a "baht bus"... except on these boards

That may be true. But, I can tell you that it is not just this board. I have seen a dozen videos, read blogs and guide books and while they give a bow to the name "songtaew" - they, uiversally, call it a Bhat bus.

[frequent]

That may be true. But, I can tell you that it is not just this board. I have seen a dozen videos, read blogs and guide books and while they give a bow to the name "songtaew" - they, uiversally, call it a Bhat bus.

Or, more usually, a baht bus

[francois]

First: nobody in Pattaya calls a Baht Bus a "baht bus".... its either a Songtaew or a "taxi"... have never EVER heard it being called a "baht bus"... except on these boards

My experience is quite the opposite, colmx. People I know in Pattaya do refer to it as a Baht Bus in addition to a Songtaew; never heard anyone call it a taxi.

[colmx]

My experience is quite the opposite, colmx. People I know in Pattaya do refer to it as a Baht Bus in addition to a Songtaew; never heard anyone call it a taxi.

But who calls it a Baht Bus? A Thai/Khmer/Laos person or a farang? I have never ever heard any Asian call a Songtaew a Baht Bus in 17 years visiting Pattaya... I have only heard it being called that on message boards

[frequent]

But who calls it a Baht Bus? A Thai/Khmer/Laos person or a farang? I have never ever heard any Asian call a Songtaew a Baht Bus in 17 years visiting Pattaya... I have only heard it being called that on message boards

Oddly enough, almost all posters here are NOT Thai/Khmer/Laos so I would expect them to call it a baht bus. Just as it's the more pretentious who use Krung Thep rather than Bangkok (listen to a Thai Airways' announcement if you want to know what the Thais do)