Bangkok City Buses

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, operates Bangkok buses. The authority currently offers 136 routes serving every part of the city and the nearby provinces. Currently, more than four thousand buses cruise the city’s streets, of which around 2,800 are regular buses and around 1,200 air-conditioned buses.

Note: Traveling on a Bangkok bus with a family can be a stressful event. Bangkok buses can be very crowded at times and the driver does not always wait or give enough time for passengers to disembark and board the bus. I recommend you use other modes of transportation when traveling with your family in Bangkok.

An additional 1,862 privately owned regular and air-conditioned buses, and 1,580 mini-buses are operated under the BMTA. For the budget traveler, the bus is the cheapest way of getting around, but it’s not always the most convenient. Traffic congestion in Bangkok can be very frustrating, especially if it’s your first visit here. In addition, there are no specific schedules for the services, so nobody can predict when the next bus will arrive. It really depends on the traffic situation at the time.

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Bangkok buses come in many sizes and colors. Fares vary with each different type of bus.

The non-air conditioned regular bus (red-cream color) is the cheapest bus service with a 7 baht fare for any journey. With the air pollution and heat in Bangkok, traveling on these buses can be a trying experience, especially during daytime and rush hours. Services usually start at 5.00 am and go through to 11.00 pm. On certain well-traveled routes, services run all night but the fare is 8 baht and again it’s impossible to predict what time the buses will come. Some red and cream buses travel on the Expressway, in which case the fare is 8.50 baht. These buses usually have a yellow sign in the front.

Other types of regular service buses in white-blue color and privately owned mini-buses in green run on some routes. The fare is 8 baht for any distance.

Air-conditioned buses (cream-blue color) are slightly more convenient than the regular buses. The bus fare depends on the distance traveled, but ranges from 9 baht up to 19 baht. Services usually operate from 5.00 am to 11.00 pm.

Euro II bus (yellow-orange color) are also air-conditioned and relatively new. Services starts run from 5.00 am to 11.00 pm. The fare ranges from 12 baht to 22 baht depending on the distance.

Micro-bus (purple or red color) is an alternative privately owned bus service. The 20-seat passenger buses come in air-conditioned comfort. The fare is a flat 25 baht regardless of the distance. Micro-buses stop taking passengers once every seat is filled, so everyone is guaranteed a seat.

Watch out for pickpockets and bag-slashers on Bangkok buses. Keep your wallet in your front pocket and your bags in front of you at all times. When boarding and exiting the bus, do it as quickly as possible. The driver will not give you much time to get on or get off the bus.

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