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There can be few cities in the world where transport is such a headache as it is in Bangkok. Bumper-to-bumper vehicles create fumes so bad that some days the city's carbon monoxide emissions come close to the international danger level. However, the opening of the elevated train network known as the BTS Skytrain has radically improved public transport in certain parts of the city, including the Siam Square, Chatuchak, Silom and Sukhumvit areas. Unfortunately for tourists, the Skytrain system does not stretch as far as Ratanakosin or Banglamphu where boats still provide the fastest means of hopping between sights. Otherwise, the cheapest, albeit slow form of transport in the city are still buses . To get around the city, you'll need to buy the blue and yellow Bangkok bus map , available from guesthouses and book shops. TAT gives out a free map of Bangkok with some bus and boat routes (available from the TAT/police booth on the corner of Thanon Khao San and Chakra Bongse). Skytrain stations don't yet appear on most maps. The most detailed accurate street map is GeoCenter's Bangkok 1:15000, best bought before you leave home. |
There are three types of bus service in the city: ordinary (non-air-con), which come in various colours and sizes, cost B3 or B5, and run day and night; the more comfortable and less congested blue air-con buses (B6-16), which stop at around 8.30pm; and the small, commuter-oriented air-conditioned microbuses (B20-30).
Bangkok was built around the Chao Phraya River and its network of canals ( khlongs) and boats are still the fastest and most comfortable way of getting around the city.
Licensed taxi cabs have yellow-and-black numberplates and are no more expensive than the (less reliable) unlicensed ones, which have white-and-black plates. Fares in Bangkok's metered, air-conditioned taxis start at B35, but it can be hard to get the driver to use the meter. If that's the case, establish a fare first.
In December 1999, the long-awaited elevated railway known as the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Skytrain began operating in Bangkok, providing a much faster alternative to the bus. There are currently two Skytrain lines in operation, both running daily every few minutes from 6am to midnight.