Transfers between DMK and pattaya

[maump]

Can't argue with BKK guy. I was exploring the system and learning. wanted to try the bus. it is not bad from airport, but sucks from the bus station (different buses)

[christianpfc]

Does bus 389 works?

Yes. However booked out hours in advance (when I checked online booking). The bus runs hourly, recently I passed airport and checked at their counter 17:12, the next bus was for 19 (i.e. the 18 bus booked out). Price 143 THB.

I did Bangkok to Pattaya many times on weekday afternoon, with a friend by his car it takes 2 hours, by public bus 4 hours door-to-door. (I don't take airport bus because of the waiting time, but Roong Rueang bus to North Pattaya Bus Stationm, and those are quite full as well).

[Dreamsg76]

This is from BKK or DMK?
I get a bit confused but couldn't find bus route info.

[christianpfc]

Bus 389 runs from BKK (Suvarnabhumi) to Jomtien.

[pong]

From both sides ev hour on the full hour from 6.00 till 21.00. Used it myself last days for a visit to there and arr. at Swampy by 9,50 brought me in the 11.00 bus, which by then had about half its 40 seats old (going by the nr). When directly coming off an airplane its too risky to book, I think.
THIS bus FROM BKK also lets people out at Pty-central and south roads on Sukhumvit.
THis morning the 9.00 had 2 buses on itm both full (had bought my ticket eve before). THis 389 runs direct to Jomtien-just 200 mtr from that supertown away.
There is also from Swampy an hourly direct bus (cost 190 bt-a bit strange as much higher price) to Pattaya NOrth Bus stand-ev hour @.30.
Thailand has a state-wide and in fact quite smart set up national busline route nbr system, if you are familair with it one can even roughly guess how the route goes.
LInes 2-101 and from 901-998 run direct from BKK to about any major town in TH. ChMai is 18, Phuket 949, And Pattaya 48. There may be several competing bus comp.s on 1 line-f.e. to ChMai there used to be some 20 pre-covid.
3 digit lines run between provinces. 4 digit lines run IN province but in more as 1 community. The first of those digits indicate in what area.
Local lines have 5 digits, of which the first 2 indicate the nr that Thai burocracy has given to its 80+ provinces.
Now sadly the 48 line is a collection of at least 6 different routes, from all 3 BKK big busstations, all by Bell=Roong Ruang Tour, a comp that has not very good name.
BUSes can also come as 3d, 2nd or 1st class and their colour indicates this. 3d used to be the old orange non-AC overcrowded ones, by now about died out and certainly on this line. The all blue are 1st cl+ means with AC and WC onboard. On longer routes with a tiny bit of food and drink, not on this 48 nor 389.
To get-often quicker-to PTY, only along Sukhumvit rd, one may also use any other bus that serves further onward, Like Sattaheep or Rayong. But then you really have to know all your wits and speak Thai to get this clear.
There IS even a 2nd cl (mostly van, all white with orange stripes) busline start Rangsit-passing DMK on main rd and will stop if hailed, then via multiple stops to Pty-north rd. No advance-just pay on board. Has a nr like 990x. Just a few trip/day. Impossible to find exact timings.
Agree with Christian that it may look attractive enough with only basic text but in practice will nearly always turn out to last much longer and more inconvenient as dedicated bus/train users in EUR are used to. And about anyone asking here is not a dedicated experienced bus-user, so that means more probs.
Its also the heritage of covid when many former very frequent services were much reduced as lower demand and now cannot cope with suddenly demand coming back. Its also very evident in BMTA=BKK citybus system.

[francois]

Very enlightening, pong.