Thailand Guide
Getting around
By bus
Ordinary orange buses (rot thammadaa) are state-run, incredibly inexpensive and cover most short-distance routes between main towns (up to 150km) very frequently during daylight hours. They can get packed and are usually quite slow because they stop frequently and often wait until they have enough passengers to make the journey worthwhile.
The state-run blue air-con buses (rot air) are faster and more comfortable, but cost up to twice as much, depart less frequently, and don't cover nearly as many routes. In a lot of cases they're indistinguishable from privately owned air-con buses (often known as rot tua), which ply the most popular long-distance routes and often operate out of government bus terminals.
On some longer routes, there are also more expensive VIP buses, with fewer seats and more legroom. Major private companies, such as Nakorn Chai and Win Tour, are generally reliable, but many smaller companies on the main travellers' routes, especially from Thanon Khao San to Chiang Mai and Surat Thani, have a poor reputation for service and comfort despite attracting customers with bargain fares and convenient timetables. Travellers have reported a frightening lack of safety awareness and frequent thefts from luggage on these routes, too. Because of this, some travellers prefer to do the overnight journeys by train and then make a shorter bus connection to their destination.
Tickets for all buses can be bought from the departure terminals, but for ordinary buses it's normal to buy them onboard.