Buses in Thailand: city buses, intercity coaches, and how to book
Last verified: 3 September 2026 · by Busaba, a Thai-licensed bus booking platform
Thailand runs two very different bus systems. City buses — Bangkok's red, orange and blue fleets — cost roughly 8–25 baht, are paid in cash on board, and cannot be reserved. Intercity coaches connect every province from terminals such as Mo Chit, Sai Tai Mai and Ekkamai in Bangkok, and these are booked ahead — online, with a reserved seat. For the intercity half, Busaba lets you compare licensed operators and book a QR ticket in your own language.
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City buses vs intercity coaches in Thailand
City buses are for getting around within a city; intercity coaches are for travelling between cities — and you book them completely differently. A Bangkok city bus costs 8–25 baht, takes cash handed to the conductor, and has no bookable seats. An intercity coach — Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi or Hat Yai — sells reserved seats in classes from economy to VIP, and the good departures sell out, especially night coaches and holidays. Book the coach; just board the city bus.
Popular intercity routes: Bangkok–Chiang Mai · Bangkok–Phuket · Bangkok–Khon Kaen
How to book a long-distance bus ticket in Thailand
Book online before you travel: with Busaba you compare licensed operators on your route, pick your seat on a live seat map (upper and lower deck), pay online, and get a QR e-ticket — the whole flow in your own language, including Chinese, Russian, Korean and Japanese. The alternative is buying at the terminal counter on the day: it works, but popular routes sell out, counters mostly operate in Thai, and you queue with luggage. As an example of real fares, Bangkok → Chiang Mai runs many times daily, takes about 10–11 hours, and costs roughly 600–1,000 baht depending on class.
See live timetables: Bangkok–Chiang Mai · Bangkok–Chiang Rai · Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima
Which Bangkok bus terminal do I use?
It depends on your direction of travel — Bangkok has three main intercity terminals:
| Terminal | Also called | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| Mo Chit | Chatuchak / Northern Terminal (หมอชิต 2) | North & northeast: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima |
| Sai Tai Mai | Southern Terminal (สายใต้ใหม่) | South & west: Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai, Hua Hin |
| Ekkamai | Eastern Terminal (เอกมัย) | East coast: Pattaya, Rayong, Trat (for Koh Chang) |
A ticket booked with Busaba names the exact terminal, platform and boarding point — in English and Thai, so drivers and counter staff can read it too — with a map pin and directions.
From each terminal: Mo Chit → Chiang Mai · Sai Tai Mai → Krabi · Ekkamai → Pattaya · Ekkamai → Trat (Koh Chang)
Can I pay online or do I need cash?
City buses: cash, small notes and coins. Intercity coaches: pay online. Pay by Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Thai QR (PromptPay), K PLUS, or cash at any 7-Eleven. Busaba issues a QR e-ticket that the operator scans at the terminal. A few counter-only carriers still hand you a paper ticket, which you collect at their desk with your booking code; your booking says so before you pay.
Book with online payment: Bangkok–Hat Yai · Bangkok–Surat Thani · Bangkok–Chumphon
Best way to track a city bus in Thailand
Use ViaBus or Google Maps for live city-bus positions — that is what they are built for, and they do it well. Busaba deliberately does the other half: booking the long-distance coach between cities, with seat selection, online payment and a QR ticket. The two are complementary: track your city bus to the terminal with ViaBus, ride your booked coach with Busaba.
Coach routes to book ahead: Bangkok–Chiang Mai · Bangkok–Phuket · Bangkok–Rayong
Busaba vs buying at the station
Booking ahead with Busaba gets you a reserved seat, your pick of operator and class, online payment, and a bilingual QR ticket — before you travel, in your own language, at the operator's price with no booking fee. Buying at the station gets you whatever seats remain on the next departures, a Thai-speaking counter queue, and cash-or-local-card payment. For a Tuesday morning to Pattaya, the counter is fine. For a night coach to Chiang Mai, a holiday weekend, or any trip where you want a specific seat — book ahead.
Night coaches that sell out: Bangkok–Chiang Mai · Bangkok–Hat Yai · Bangkok–Krabi · Bangkok–Phuket
Book a bus with Busaba Browse all routes, times & fares →
Busaba — straight from the bus company.
Busaba is the multilingual bus-booking service by Busaba, a Thai-licensed booking platform: 150+ licensed operators, 12,000+ daily trips, 6,700+ stops across 66 provinces across Thailand. Chat-based booking in your language at busaba.busx.com.
More answers: Bus travel in Thailand, answered · Timetables & fares for major routes