Phuket to introduce ‘baht bus’ style transport service in tourist hotspot

Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is currently accepting applications from operators to establish a circular ‘baht bus’ style public transportation system in Phuket’s busiest tourist area. The announcement was made on the PLTO’s official Facebook page yesterday, with three separate notices for potential operators to provide bus transport services within Patong.

Two of these notices outlined two circular routes, while the third is for the traditional bus service between the old bus station on Phang Nga Rd in Phuket Town and Patong. Both circular routes are set to commence from the Bangla Police Box on Patong Beach Road (Thaweewong Road) and continue north to the Dolphin Circle before turning right onto Phra Barami Road.

One service will then turn onto Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road while the second will take a right onto Phra Metta Road. Both routes will then continue south to the southern end of Patong, turn right onto Prachanukroh Road and head back towards Patong Beach. The buses will then return to the Bangla Police Box before restarting their circular route.

As outlined in the PLTO’s formal announcement, the vehicles used for these services must not be passenger vans. Instead, the type of vehicle will depend on the number of passengers and a minimum of three vehicles must be provided for the service along Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road while at least two vehicles must be available for the Phra Metta Rd route. Both services are required to make a minimum of 40 trips per day, charging a fare of 40 baht.

These new services are intended to provide both convenience and safety to public bus users and enhance the competitiveness of the bus transportation system. Applicants are required to provide details of the buses or other vehicles to be used, storage, repair and maintenance sites, and plans for bus service management, anti-pollution and environmental measures, employee development, service models, and vehicle and passenger safety.

Applicants can contact the PLTO directly for more information and have until November 28 to submit their applications. Despite this, there has been no official mention of the new services to be provided to residents and tourists in the town of Patong Municipality.

Baht bus

These new services in Patong are similar to the famous baht bus in Pattaya. However, the baht bus in Pattaya, provided by converted pickup trucks, operates on a set route but offers a flexible hop-on, hop-off service, with a minimum fare of 10 baht.

The announcements come following discussions with the PLTO about launching new bus services in Phuket, including the baht bus style service in Patong as noted by Phuket MP Somchart Techathavorncharoen in his report on October 3.

Progress has stalled on plans by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) to provide a bus service from the airport to Rawai.

Phuket’s transport authorities have also yet to approve the expansion of the popular Phuket Smart Bus route from its terminus in Rawai to Cape Promthep, a distance of 2.1 kilometres, due to potential effects on other operators, reported by Phuket News.

The PPAO has yet to reveal further details about its plans to launch an electric bus service throughout Phuket Town, despite announcing that it has requested a budget of US$156 million for the project.

This initiative may be on hold following the Phuket Smart Bus providing a free shuttle service in Phuket Town during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. The bus may be called on to continue operating in Phuket Town if the ‘pilot project’ is successful.