Songthaews Route

[yeovil]

Hello,

 

Does anyone know if it;s possible to find somewhere the Songthaews routes?

Could anyone tell me which route goes from Sathorn (near Nanglinchee road) to Sathorn Pier? (and what is its route?)

 

Thanks a lot!

 

 

 

 

[Bang Bang]

Might be totally off on this as I don't live in that part of town, but aren't songthaews a Pattaya thing? Have only seen them on the edge of Bkk ferrying schoolkids and laborers.

 

In Bkk, motosais are ubiquitous. They carry a single person on the back. If you are more than one and/or have luggage just hail a cab.

[ozmeldo]

2 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

Might be totally off on this as I don't live in that part of town, but aren't songthaews a Pattaya thing? Have only seen them on the edge of Bkk ferrying schoolkids and laborers.

 

In Bkk, motosais are ubiquitous. They carry a single person on the back. If you are more than one and/or have luggage just hail a cab.

They run all over many cities. Bangkok has variations that run down streets.

 

Need to sort it out on your own. Years ago the Bangkok map had bus routes. No idea why anyone would want to take a songtaew across town.

[Happystance]

I recently discovered that published bus routes of Bangkok and what Google Maps think they might be are somewhat speculation.

 

With a songtaew, you're going to have to ask the driver, has been my experience.

Some do have routes and the paths are whimsical it seems.

[moontang]

Kind of gotta do trial and error...but they will respond to words like BTS and MRT...  The transit guide for BKK is ok, but if you are on a critical trip, you need to research it more or take a cab...they ignore some stops, and I have even had them point to the bridge I wanted to cross, as they didn't even slow down for a marked bus stop, that their software says they stop at.

[Nyezhov]

Im my limited experience, in my area, the Songthaews run down certain roads, back and forth. For example, I could grab one at Thoet Thai Road and roll down to Wongwiang Yai. Where it goes beyond that depends on the colour or the number and I havent gotten to that point. Really, unless you speak fluent Thai, the only way to find out is ride one. Just take one in the direction you are going. You can get off if you have to. At kleast you will be closer.

[asanee]

Yes, besides the around 6000 big buses and a few 100 orange minibuses running for BMTA on around 200 buslines, BKK/BMA area also has around 200 special regime small transport routes, numbered from 1001 up, with around 4000 vehicles. Not all of these are songthaews, f.e. bis white+red bus 1014 runs all along Onnut east to Lard krabang. Some of these are listed on bmta.co.th or in those old printed booklets for sale at 7 and bookshops like See-Aed (now out of print, you may hit some not sold one somewhere).

They have a ''diamond'' blue symbol on the side, which proclaims they are licensed, and as said a nr from 1001 till 1545-with many gaps. AND the route is always-in Thai of course, written on them-but beware, also like the big buses, many do not run the whole line but stop somewhere-with a cardboard card on the front telling.

Most indeed run far out in suburbia just trundling along a soi and back.

BUT in this area between Sathorn and Ram III there are a dozen or so lines, very frequent, as streets are so narrow, much like a normal bus would do. NOT as in Pattaya, where you have to bargain for destination with driver, if off-line. or like that in the red see-lor in Chiang Mai.

The fare is regulated by BMA as 7 bt-pay after end of trip to driver-it looks easy to escape that, but dont try.

Same type also runs in many outer areas of Nonthburi, Pathum Tanee etc, some replacing former buslines.

What Yeovil asks: well, they do not run just along Sathorn and it looks to me he wants that. Thats big bus 116 AND 149 but yes indeed, service along Sathorn has become very sparse, esp. evenings and weekends, as its all office. The 17 has disappeared alltogether already.

[chickenslegs]

6 hours ago, Happystance said:

Some do have routes and the paths are whimsical it seems.

Whimsical.

What a perfect word to describe so many things in this wonderful country.

[lamyai3]

Routes are usually limited... some have BTS written on them indicating the termination point. Can be a good local option if you know the routes, such as down Sukhumvit 71 or 77. 

[lamyai3]

15 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

Might be totally off on this as I don't live in that part of town, but aren't songthaews a Pattaya thing? Have only seen them on the edge of Bkk ferrying schoolkids and laborers.

Given that songtaew means "two rows", the term gets applied to a wide number of vehicles, including baht buses, truck buses and even tuk tuks:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songthaew

 

The kind of songthaews that ply the sois of bangkok aren't typically similar to any of the vehicles in this article, more like a compact Suzuki carry van where the small rear section is stripped out for bench seats with open back and sides. 

[allane]

I'm a bit hazy on this, since I haven't frequented that area since 2010. Northbound on Nang Linchee/Suan Phlu, use the one that terminates at Lumphini Park. I think it's 1240.  When it arrives at Sathorn Road, get off, and take Bus # 17 westbound. It goes to the west (river) end of Sathorn, then turns left on to Charoen Krung. Get off at the first stop and walk back to Sathorn Pier.

[dddave]

9 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Routes are usually limited... some have BTS written on them indicating the termination point. Can be a good local option if you know the routes, such as down Sukhumvit 71 or 77. 

Unfortunately, the song taos on Suk 71 are "Subaru"...just too small and cramped for western bodies.  There is a very large song tao terminal below the Phra Khanong Klong bridge, under Sukhumvit, most of them white but I've never seen them on local streets nor do I know their routes. 

It's odd that while 7 bus routes run along Suk 71, then turn right on Sukhumvit to either Rama-4 or down Suk., not a single route turns left at Sukhumvit, towards On Nut & Bang Na.  The 545 AC bus used to run that way but re-routed to Suk. 63 several years ago.

[uhuh]

21 hours ago, asanee said:

f.e. bis white+red bus 1014 runs all along Onnut east to Lard krabang. 

Isn't that 1013?

[uhuh]

5 hours ago, dddave said:

 There is a very large song tao terminal below the Phra Khanong Klong bridge, under Sukhumvit, most of them white but I've never seen them on local streets nor do I know their routes. 

The white ones run along Onnut all the way to Sinakarin Rd. Those that write Seacon go to Seacon, the others will turn right off Onnut a long way before Sinakarin, but in the end they arrive there too.

 

The read ones only run along Onnut until Onnut 17, then turn left into Soi 17.

[Bangkok Basha]

Sangtaew Number 1240 is very convenient, and it stops (but does not terminate) at the Lumphini MRT station. It continues along Rama IV, and then turns down Sathorn as far as Soi Suan Plu, which it follows until the expressway, from which it circles back via a long loop and then returns to Suan Plu back to the intersection of Sathorn; makes a U-turn at Soi Convent, and then left on Soi Saladaeng and Saladaeng Soi One to Rama IV again. Seven (7) bahts from some of all of the journey. I use it to get to the Suan Plu market and to the MRT station regularly. It is full of office workers on Sathorn during the lunch break. There are numerous sangtaews at the Sathorn Pier (Saphan Taksin BTS), but I've never figured out where they go. I suspect that are available for private hire- like a taxi- but probably overcharge as it's a tourist destination. 

[allane]

The ones at Sathorn Pier (sorry, I've forgotten the number) go eastbound on Sathorn Road, then southbound on Soi Senloo-ee (St. Louis) 3. I am rather hazy on the route beyond there, I think they turn east on Jan Road. (same route in reverse).

[Fairynuff]

Push the boat out and take a taxi. You could even walk it in half an hour and save the money

[crazyk]

Plenty of cheap transport to get around bangkok,get a map of the transport routes & make a plan,some journeys I have used the bus,river ferry,sky train & the underground & tuktuk or motorcycle but not generally in that order

[crazyk]

1 minute ago, crazyk said:

Plenty of cheap transport to get around bangkok,get a map of the transport routes & make a plan,some journeys I have used the bus,river ferry,sky train & the underground & tuktuk or motorcycle but not generally in that order

If you want to get to khao Sarn road for example from pattaya,at ekkamai get the sky train to sim, change train for saphan takin, get off there & then get the river ferry

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, crazyk said:

If you want to get to khao Sarn road for example from pattaya,at ekkamai get the sky train to sim, change train for saphan takin, get off there & then get the river ferry

Much quicker to take the khlong saen saep boat from Siam to the Golden Mount, close to democracy monument. 

[uhuh]

10 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Much quicker to take the khlong saen saep boat from Siam to the Golden Mount, close to democracy monument. 

In this case,  you should get off the BTS at Chidlom

[lamyai3]

1 hour ago, uhuh said:

In this case,  you should get off the BTS at Chidlom

Either way it's a short walk, Chidlom requires a change of boat though at Pratunam. Most direct route is actually BTS to Ratchathewi, then a two minute walk to the saphan hua chang pier, beneath the bridge. 

[dddave]

On 3/25/2019 at 11:05 PM, uhuh said:

The white ones run along Onnut all the way to Sinakarin Rd. Those that write Seacon go to Seacon, the others will turn right off Onnut a long way before Sinakarin, but in the end they arrive there too.

 

The read ones only run along Onnut until Onnut 17, then turn left into Soi 17.

Good info, Thanks.  I didn't realize I had an alternative to the ever plodding #133 bus to Sekon Sq.

[smo]

My trundling-down-a-neighborhood-soi songthaews are those Subaru compact conversion numbers, they charge the whole not 7, but 8 baht, talod sai (whole journey) serving soi Mahadthai which connects Ramkhamhaeng to Ladprao (though other adjacent sois do that too.) I call them "boutique" songthaews, at the service of a very specific niche of clientele demographically speaking.

 

Ah, the wonderful world of public transportation one finds in BKK, if only one dares. Combining air (as in AirportLink/skytrain), land (as in underground/bus) and sea (as in khlong boat) travel, I can get into town for under 1 hour any time of day.  In dire circumstances, as in wanting to get to the other side of khlong San Saeb but too lazy to walk up the bridge, there is the African-Queen torpedo  manleg-powered concoction that will ferry you clickety clack across for 2 baht each way.