Bangkok Transpotting
Taxi is the most expensive public transport in Bangkok - the flag down is the most expensive compared to the cheapest minimum of any in the city. BTS's cheapest charge is 20bht, motorcycle taxi 10bht (if it's very near and not in the city proper), the tuktuk maaaaybe 40bht, the songtaews so much lower, and the BRT (as of now because is still within the promo phase) at 10bht. The 10bht of the BRT is from one end to the other which is Ratchapruek - walking distance from where I live, to Sathorn - walking distance to where I work. :D This is precisely why I prefer the BRT.
There are of course, other, more expensive choices. My place is also near the BTS. Ok, the BRT might take more time than the BTS, but I like the travel time. It's time alone with my self and my thoughts - a rarity considering I have a family at home and an office to go to. 40 minutes of time to yourself. I particularly like the fact that it is not short distance travel of a few rides. I prefer one long ride than a series of short rides. This is because one's train of thought gets interrupted as one gets down from one transportation to another, which was the case where we previously lived. I used to take the BTS and then the service van of the condo. In our first condominium, the only way to get to the BTS is via the condominium van service (20 bht), or taxi (60bht). There is not enough time to let ideas or thoughts settle, let alone be mulled or chewed over.
The BRT is still in its opening phase with only one route. Other routes will be opening in 2012, they said. There is also a promised route to the international airport Subvarnabhumi (pronounced 'suwanapoom'). Let's see how that will go.
I used to be a BTS kid. The BTS (skytrain)was the first public transport I ever rode on when I moved to Bangkok, and it was what I took for the last seven months since then. I would take the Silom line from Wong Wian Yai up to Chong Non Si area which costs about 25bht. The most expensive fare is up to 40bht and that could take you from one end to the other - WongWian Yai, Mo Chit or On Nut. It is undoubtedly Bangkok's fastest transport. Unless you are just going a couple of blocks away, then one is better off taking a motorcycle taxi - which would also cost 20bht per ride and can weave through the traffic and yes, violate a few traffic rules. The BTS does not have the traffic problem, hence, it is fast. It does get packed most uncomfortably during the rush hours.
I particularly hate it when the person in front of you steps in the train and just stops - with no effort of going inside. It's maddening how they just stop - like they were the last person to have entered a fortress and they would survey the area, with no thought of the people behind them trying to get in the same damn fortress. It is usually the the tall, big people who would be clueless that there are small people behind them, their height and breadth blocking their peripheral vision maybe? - and apparently dulling their senses. But then again, there are also the smaller people who would do the same, or just stay in the door area even if their stop is still far away.
Taxi fares are unpredictable as the traffic situation. One can just get stuck on the road. The BRT however, has its own designated lane - well, in certain areas - so you get a sense that passengers of the BRT are being prioritized than your regular commuter, or car.
The motorcycle taxi is also unpredictable in terms of fare or of driving style or safety. It's scary to say the least but if one is in a hurry, one cannot overemphasize their convenience.
There are also the local buses, some air conditioned, some not. However, most of the signs for these transports are in Thai. The airconditioned buses are numbered and one would have to have memorized the bus number to get from one place to the other.
There is of course, still the songtaews - which I consider most fun and cheapest but they do not go to main roads. They operate more along the sois or local lanes which makes it even more fun! The tuktuk is also fun yet the most expensive as it caters to tourists.
One caveat for the BRT though is that MP3s are useless especially if you get on a really noisy bus. But I'd like to think of the whirring of the bus engine as white noise as defined by Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. It can be blocked out - with practice, admittedly, but it can be done.
As with the BTS, the BRT is cold. Thais love putting the aircon up and then warming themselves with jackets or blankets, admitted a Thai friend of mine. I wear a jacket or a shawl in the office with its centralized a/c in July.
So take your pick. Bangkok transportation has a lot to offer.
There are of course, other, more expensive choices. My place is also near the BTS. Ok, the BRT might take more time than the BTS, but I like the travel time. It's time alone with my self and my thoughts - a rarity considering I have a family at home and an office to go to. 40 minutes of time to yourself. I particularly like the fact that it is not short distance travel of a few rides. I prefer one long ride than a series of short rides. This is because one's train of thought gets interrupted as one gets down from one transportation to another, which was the case where we previously lived. I used to take the BTS and then the service van of the condo. In our first condominium, the only way to get to the BTS is via the condominium van service (20 bht), or taxi (60bht). There is not enough time to let ideas or thoughts settle, let alone be mulled or chewed over.
The BRT is still in its opening phase with only one route. Other routes will be opening in 2012, they said. There is also a promised route to the international airport Subvarnabhumi (pronounced 'suwanapoom'). Let's see how that will go.
I used to be a BTS kid. The BTS (skytrain)was the first public transport I ever rode on when I moved to Bangkok, and it was what I took for the last seven months since then. I would take the Silom line from Wong Wian Yai up to Chong Non Si area which costs about 25bht. The most expensive fare is up to 40bht and that could take you from one end to the other - WongWian Yai, Mo Chit or On Nut. It is undoubtedly Bangkok's fastest transport. Unless you are just going a couple of blocks away, then one is better off taking a motorcycle taxi - which would also cost 20bht per ride and can weave through the traffic and yes, violate a few traffic rules. The BTS does not have the traffic problem, hence, it is fast. It does get packed most uncomfortably during the rush hours.
I particularly hate it when the person in front of you steps in the train and just stops - with no effort of going inside. It's maddening how they just stop - like they were the last person to have entered a fortress and they would survey the area, with no thought of the people behind them trying to get in the same damn fortress. It is usually the the tall, big people who would be clueless that there are small people behind them, their height and breadth blocking their peripheral vision maybe? - and apparently dulling their senses. But then again, there are also the smaller people who would do the same, or just stay in the door area even if their stop is still far away.
Taxi fares are unpredictable as the traffic situation. One can just get stuck on the road. The BRT however, has its own designated lane - well, in certain areas - so you get a sense that passengers of the BRT are being prioritized than your regular commuter, or car.
The motorcycle taxi is also unpredictable in terms of fare or of driving style or safety. It's scary to say the least but if one is in a hurry, one cannot overemphasize their convenience.
There are also the local buses, some air conditioned, some not. However, most of the signs for these transports are in Thai. The airconditioned buses are numbered and one would have to have memorized the bus number to get from one place to the other.
There is of course, still the songtaews - which I consider most fun and cheapest but they do not go to main roads. They operate more along the sois or local lanes which makes it even more fun! The tuktuk is also fun yet the most expensive as it caters to tourists.
One caveat for the BRT though is that MP3s are useless especially if you get on a really noisy bus. But I'd like to think of the whirring of the bus engine as white noise as defined by Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. It can be blocked out - with practice, admittedly, but it can be done.
As with the BTS, the BRT is cold. Thais love putting the aircon up and then warming themselves with jackets or blankets, admitted a Thai friend of mine. I wear a jacket or a shawl in the office with its centralized a/c in July.
So take your pick. Bangkok transportation has a lot to offer.
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