Transportation
Transport in Bangkok
Transportation in Bangkok is very diverse and some time dangerous as well. It is considered as the most unfriendly pedestrian place in the world. The reason for this remark is that the commuters have to fight with the bikers, street vendors, parked cars, street restaurants and most importantly the construction material for their share of pavements. But now this is changing since, with rapid developments in various modes of transports, commuting in Bangkok is very easy as never before. There are various modes of transport in Bangkok which are as follows-
Sky train – This has changed the way Bangkok travels. It has a special place in the heart of people from the time of its inception in the year 1999. The first route was from Soi 77 to Chatuchak. This is a very ambitious project of Bangkok, to save itself from traffic and pollution worries. You have the convenience of buying single tickets as well as monthly or yearly tickets depending on your need and convenience. This sky train covers most of the Bangkok city.
Taxis – this is the most widely used transport facility in Bangkok. And you won’t believe that their numbers are more then the private cars present in Bangkok. The maximum expense for travelling by taxi on the longest route is under 100 baht. But before starting your journey you should make sure that you are choosing the right taxi with correct Taxi Meter. And make sure that driver is using the taxi meter and its minimum rent is 35 baht. Don’t go to any place recommended by the taxi driver as it might land you in trouble. All the taxis in Bangkok use Toyota cars and they run in 3-12 hours shifts.
Car Hire – Bangkok is home for some of the world famous car hire companies and you can have the fancy of hiring the self drive vehicle, but make sure that you are hiring from recognised and famous company as it will save you from some penalty in case of any collision. But before driving your hired car, make sure that you have international permit for driving which can be obtained from Association of Automobiles and post offices. To get these permits, make sure that you have one small photograph and driving license of your country.
Tuk tuks- Once these were very popular modes of transport for Thai people as well as for the International tourists visiting Bangkok. But now they are disappearing. But you don’t need to worry if you have just wanted to ride this Tuk tuks, all you need is to be ready to shell out some extra baht as compared to what you would be spending for Taxi. And you should be prepared to get your self dirty by travelling in this mode as there is no protection form dust and smoke of buses and Lorries.
Buses – there are various types of bus services in Bangkok and they sometimes get the tourists quite confused. But the best advantage with them is that they are the cheapest mode of transport as compared to others. These buses run in every part of the Bangkok city and are very good means to see the city. The fare for these start from as low as 5 baht.