I have a dream ...

Posted by RiC on September 19, 2011 16:25

A big question is "will these buses be allowed to pick-up and drop off along the routes, or are they merely A to B and therefore merely larger versions of the minibuses used for, say, Airport to Town"?

Posted by John on September 19, 2011 16:57

So is this saying that nothing will happen until the airport upgrades are done in 3 years time, so that means 3 more years without public transport? So only planning is planned for the 3 year run up? Surely, it doesn't take longer than a month to setup something like this.

Posted by Tbs on September 19, 2011 17:53

If AoT are to have a say as to whether public buses can serve the 'new' Phuket Airport - could they ensure that there will be space for passengers' luggage. They certainly messed up the plans for the high speed rail link to Suvarnabhumi by accepting trains with no capacity for luggage, resulting in an under-used service because passengers with luggage have to rely on taxis.

Posted by Pete on September 19, 2011 19:35

John, I agree with you that the most desirable - and most efficient - outcome would be to have buses that have multiple drop points and boarding points. But, as the article says, the key thing is to get the bus and coach bays built into the architecture/layout of the new terminal. Even if it were to initially only service Airport-To-Point-A, it would still go some way to meeting a growing need.

In the future, as the presence of the buses becomes unassailable, multi drop-and-collection routes can be developed. But the key thing initially is to get the bus and coach bays and routes built into the DNA of HKT.

I keep mentioning the coaches, in addition to the buses, as they're a key part of most major airports transport systems. I've mentioned Dublin Airport on Phuketwan before, so let's take a look at how public/private, bus/coach, single/multiple stop services dovetail together. From Dublin airport, you have two types of public bus services. A single stop bus service (airport to city centre) and a multi-stop service with about 20 stops along the way. The former is more useful for tourists; the latter for local Dubliners going to and from holidays.

The private coach system that works alongside this is an impressive and efficient service called Aircoach. All the coaches are of the 80+ seater variety. They work near continuously - about 20 hours a day - in a series of looped routes. This means you can catch them going in either direction and the terminus is always the airport. Being a commercial venture, the Aircoach tends to pick up from stops near large hotels. It's a few euro more expensive than a bus, but it's luxurious, air-conditioned and still good value (a lot cheaper than a Dublin taxi).

Long-term, that public-private dual system can be invaluable to a location such as Phuket. For example, if there's a Phuket Aircoach, it can pick up from all the major resorts outside of the main towns - the very places most getting squeezed currently by lack of transport options. It also means that they can offer their guests rapid and comfortable access to large coach services, rather than relying on the somewhat more vulnerable to intimidation mini-buses.

But the spirit of the article is spot on. Get the bus and large coach bays carved into the very stone and concrete of the new terminal. With the anticipated future tourist volumes it's inconceivable that Phuket won't have a transport system to meet demand.

The only question for me is when do we get to see the proposed layout in detail and when is it open - as such things usually are - for comments and submissions?

Posted by Doug on September 19, 2011 19:36

Public transportation in Phuket does not need to be reliant upon new airport plans and subsequent architecture. Presently, the parking area directly in front of the airport are not managed in the sense that commercial vehicles (tuk-tuk, minibuses, etc.) monopolize the area and many times scare ordinary citizens from parking in a particular spot because they are ''reserved.'' If that parking area is to be utilized by commercial transport, then those parking spaces should be clearly marked and those vendors should pay a monthly rent to reserve them. A better solution would be for the commercial vehicles to use the existing parking area by the cargo terminal and have some sort of rational queuing system to pick up passengers from the airport arrival area, rather than the present aggressive helter-skelter approach. Further, commercial transport should be restricted to those vendors that have an established counter within the airport. A customer books a vehicle; the vehicle is summoned out of a parking area. All users of the parking lots, whether passengers, vendors, or airport workers should pay for parking. Monthly fees at a discount for vendors and airport workers should be established, with easily recognizable and numbered tags issued for their vehicles, with periodic inspection by AOT during the week. These are not new ideas. Many or perhaps most of the international airports throughout the world use such a system. Why should not Thailand do the same? Even now, before any new construction, reserved pick-up and drop-off points for commercial bus service could be implemented. Why do we have to wait on the construction of a new airport? The bottom line is that the present stakeholders have a powerful political coalition which prevents a more equitable approach to public transportation.

Posted by Paoa on September 20, 2011 13:56