City buses in Bangkok are cheap and plentiful but getting around Bangkok by bus is also time-consuming and can sometimes be confusing. The City Buses in Bangkok come in different colors and are air-conditioned or non-air-conditioned. There is also a rapid bus service (BRT) but this only runs on one route.
Air-Conditioned buses are orange, yellow, blue or white. Fares are between 12-25 baht depending on the distance. Non-Air Conditioned buses red, pink, blue or white. Fares are 8 baht (red), 10 baht (blue, white, pink). You buy a ticket from the conductor on board. Don’t try to pay with large notes. Conductors can usually change a 100 baht note max. Keep your ticket as inspectors often hop on to check tickets.
Make sure you know the name of your destination. Most conductors understand some English. Drivers usually do not! Some Bus stops in the Rattanakosin old city area have signs in English with the bus numbers and routes. These are now being rolled out around the city. Some buses in Bangkok have signs in English on the side of the bus but this is not common. There is no night bus network, though some routes provide a 24-hour service. These are usually red buses. Most services run between the hours of 05.00 – 23.00. Bus stops have a blue sign with a bus symbol and sometimes the numbers of the buses that stop there.
When catching a bus, you will need to stick your hand out to signal to the bus driver that you want to board, and when you want to get off you should always ring the buzzer on the bus. Bangkok bus drivers are notorious for not bothering to stop to pick up passengers. Get off quickly as drivers are also notorious for speeding away from bus stops before all passengers have disembarked safely.
Due to Bangkok’s often severe traffic congestion city buses in Bangkok can be slow particularly at peak times (07.30-10.00) and (16.30-20.00). If you want to get about by bus it would be wise to buy an English bus map such as the ones pictured which cost 100 baht from bookshops such as Asia books, Kinokuniya, and SE-ED books. These maps list the routes and show bus numbers next to the roads they travel down making it easy to track your route. They are also excellent walking maps.
Some useful Buses in Bangkok, numbers, and stops of interest on the route, a/c = air conditioned.
The BRT is a bus rapid transit system which runs on an exclusive lane on the city roads. There is only one line, with 12 stations running between Sathon and Ratchaphruek. Sathon station connects with Chong Nonsi BTS station via a walkway. Ratchaphruek BRT station connects to Talat Phlu BTS station.
The BRT shares a ticketing system with the BTS and you can use BTS travel cards. The fares are 12-20 baht depending on distance traveled. The service runs every five minutes between 06.30-09.30 and 16.00-20.00. Outside of these times, the service runs every 15 minutes. If you are visiting Wat Pariwat the temple is opposite Wat Pariwas station.
Giants City Tour is a new hop on hop off sightseeing bus service that travels on a circular route taking in the major tourist attractions of Bangkok. You can stay on the bus for the entire circuit or hop on and off as many times as you want along the route, which has 15 stops. The entire circuit takes 3 hours.