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One of six minivans for the route between Phuket City and Patong

Patong to Phuket City Van Service Coming

Tuesday, September 1, 2015
PHUKET: A new public transport route using minivans is to be created between Patong and Phuket City from next Monday to offer an alternative to extortionate tuk-tuk and taxi prices.

Six minivans will begin the service, starting at 6am in Patong and 7am at the old bus terminal in Phuket City, and charging a flat fee of 50 baht.

Bus stops have yet to be defined but the proposed route will stop at Phuket Provincial Hall, the Merlin Hotel, and Bangkok Hospital Phuket along the way.

The aim, say transport officials, is to provide a low-cost speedy form of transport across the island.

If the new service proves to have a market among passengers, it could be expanded.

Phuketwan has advocated banning all large, often poorly maintained buses, except for those on scheduled routes to other provinces, and making Phuket a minivan only island, speeding traffic and reducing danger.

Comments

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This is really good news. Let's hope it takes off.

Posted by Michael on September 1, 2015 19:03

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Hopefully it doesn't take a detour to some tour company like the 150 baht minibus always used to do.

Posted by Arun Muruga on September 1, 2015 19:07

Editor Comment:

It's primarily for residents, AM. I can't imagine they'd want to leave home to stay in a resort.

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Good, and next step mini bus from Kata and Karon to Phuket Town.

Posted by Bjorn Ronningen on September 1, 2015 19:21

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My in car camera caught two accidents to day. Two bikes going down and a bus jumping the centre island on Thepkasatri Road.
This place is worse than madness. So glad you folks are cleared of any wrongdoing.
New immigration requirements as of today.
Thats another commment section.

Posted by Robin on September 1, 2015 19:30

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what time will they run until??
will people be able to return home late after a night on the sauce??

Posted by another steve on September 1, 2015 19:45

Editor Comment:

The service will run for 12 hours. Details yet to be clarified.

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Now someone needs to grow some courage and do the Kata - Karon - Patong run.

Which is needed more than this one.

Posted by Tbs on September 1, 2015 19:46

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" is to province a low-cost speedy form of transport "

I'm sure you mean " Provide ".

It's a good start but what I'd really like to see is a service running the length of the West Coast. That would be most beneficial to the tourists and have the best potential for killing off the extortionate tuk-tuk "service".

Regular airport service would be of great benefit too.

The picture is small but it would appear is if there is no English language lettering to help tourists to identify these vans. I wonder why ?

Let's see how long it will take before one of these vans gets it's windows smashed as has been the case many times before when someone tries to compete with the tuk-tuks.

Posted by Herbert on September 1, 2015 20:29

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Confusious say" How about a minvan or songtaw service between Patong and Chalong along the coast road." Ha, Ha , ha I just fell off my chair laugfing.

Posted by Confusious on September 1, 2015 22:02

Editor Comment:

Don't be too surprised if residents take to the minivan option and a minivan service transforms public transport on Phuket . The time has come for action, while the military is in control. A network or minivans, with buses banned, is the island's traffic solution.

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Very pleased to know about this service! It will be nice if similar services via vans or songthaew's are provided between the west coast beaches like there is in Ko Samui!!

Posted by Deepak on September 2, 2015 02:07

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Good news?
It duplicates the songteow that is already on that route.
When I see a public bus that goes directly from one beach to another, which is what tourists really want, I'll know that officials are getting serious. Until then, it's all window-dressing.

Posted by Sir Burr on September 2, 2015 03:52

Editor Comment:

Buses are not wanted, Sir Burr. Too large, too slow, too dangerous and inappropriate for the island's future, unless you're a fan of spending time trapped in traffic. People need to get to work faster than a songteow can carry them. This is for residents, not tourists. A public transport system has to be efficient.

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Great initiative, I wish this could be targetted at tourists as well. Not sure why there cant be such a service that tourists can use.

As per everyone else, lets hope this is rolled out to run a route along the west coast beaches

Posted by Discover Thainess on September 2, 2015 07:30

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This form of transport sounds like a good idea and it would be great if the service was extended to include a direct route between Kata/Karon and Patong for a similar fare.

My main concern would be that of adequate driver training and experience. The Editor believes that the local buses are too slow and too dangerous. The last thing Phuket needs is a fleet of minivans racing from Phuket Town to Patong with the drivers believing that they are taking part in a Le Mans.

I don't want to be too negative about this form of public transport and I hope it is successful. However, I have had many holidays on Phuket finish with a nail-biting ride back to the airport in a minivan driven by a maniac and have concerns about driver attitudes to passenger safety.

Posted by Hugh on September 2, 2015 08:27

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I hope that the drivers will not get bitten by the formula 1 bug.

Posted by Carl on September 2, 2015 10:18

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It is happy Newsday Day Today.

Posted by phuketgreed on September 2, 2015 13:04

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Fantastic initiative... one of the best in a long time and a good solution for Phuket. Here's hoping it is a success and is rolled out island-wide.

As for drivers thinking they are in the F1, that won't change. I think it's in the job description ;-)

Posted by Duncan on September 2, 2015 14:37

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Seems to me like a timid and fearful attempt.

More like a concession by the cartel, as the red / yellow 30 baht tuktuks and the Airport Bus. Btw, is it still running?

We'll give you a few concessions to calm, but you better not touch our core business in the tourist locations.

6 minivans between Patong and Phuket Town, a powerful and strong signal with the political will behind looks different.

Posted by Georg The Viking on September 3, 2015 10:04

Editor Comment:

You are clearly a glass half empty man, Georg, and likely to look a gift horse in the mouth.

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Oh yes Alan, I'm more of a pessimist than an optimist, you know that. Melancholic pessimist, to be exact.

I'm the guy who already makes for replenishment when the glass is still half full.

Why are you so obsessed, to badmouth pessimists?

It is part of human temperament and naturell, you can not change it. I hardly think that in your eyes is a fat man more worth than a skinny. The same with temperament, it is congenital apart from character who is mutable.

There are many great figures in world history and in the art, pessimists and melancholists (Google helps). Nothing is bad about being a pessimist and has already saved the lives of many.

Posted by Georg The Viking on September 3, 2015 13:31

Editor Comment:

It seems to me that people who know they have nothing of value to say should say nothing, Georg. Unless you have a positive suggestion you are just passing on pessimism. Nobody except other no-hopers is interested.You've seen the zombie movies. My concern is with the living.

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My opinion about the minivans between Patong and Phuket town, however, is not based on my pessimism, but to think and remember.

When you live here for so many years you have seen very, very many "beginnings of something good".

And if you're not totally forgetful, you can easily see what has become of these "beginnings".

- DSI comes to Phuket, to clean up
- Large sewage treatment plant in Mai Khao
- Drainage projects in Kata, Patong and BangTao
- No traffic blocking Thai Boxing Trucks in Patong,
- No fireworks after 10pm
- central parking the for tuk tuks and car hire
- no more than 5 taxis in the taxi lots
- fixed fares, which were also published in PW
- cleaning the red light districts of dubious shows and animal torturing
etc .....

That's only a fraction of great ideas that are started as a 100m sprint and ended as a never ending marathon.

Often applauded as "beginning of something"

It would be completely illogical to think, everything is different now, this time it will lead to a proper and cheap minivan network, spreading all over Phuket, connecting all the tourist locations.

Under intellectual aspect is it impossible to believe that, if you not forget the facts of recent years.

To believe in a religious sense, ok, this is left up to each themselves.

Posted by Georg The Viking on September 3, 2015 13:57

Editor Comment:

Change is inevitable and for you to only note the negatives is a sign that you really shouldn't comment, Georg, unless you have something positive to say.

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Yes Sir,

only positive comments, got it.

And now please, bring this thread back to the front page where the updates usually appear.

Maybe you just forgot to do to it.

Posted by Georg The Viking on September 3, 2015 18:14

Editor Comment:

Totally false accusation, Georg. The comments all flow through the front page but we are so popular, the comments flow too fast for you to keep up.

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The more tourists and locals use Grab Taxi and soon to be launched here, Grab Car, there wont be a need formini buses and tuk tuksThe local Thai folk will never part with their trusted motocy's.
Transport greed and monopolies can't rule forever.

Posted by Robin on September 4, 2015 10:46

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@ Robin, what are the new immigration requirements since Sept. 1st?

Posted by Kurt on September 5, 2015 11:05

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Minibus is ok for sparse routes, not Chinese planeloads. Why don't they build an aerial tram over Patong hill and allow bus only within flat and wide throughfares of Phuket town? The views would complement tourism and improve safety.

Posted by K on September 8, 2015 05:50


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