Bicycle rental system in Bangkok

In Bangkok there is an ecological way of transportation for tourists – bicycle rental. For this purpose, a network of rental stations has been created where you can take a bike, ride it around the city, and then return it to any other station. On the one hand, it is convenient, but on the other hand, there are enough drawbacks:

• Traffic in Bangkok is too dangerous for cycling, and there are no dedicated bike lanes. Where there are bike paths, they will still be occupied by parked motorbikes or mobile shops
• The free rental period is only 15 minutes, then it is paid in full
• There is no mobile app with a station map
• To start using them, you must first visit the office with your passport

If this does not scare you, then here are the instructions for use:

The rental system is called Pun Pun Bike, the site http://www.punpunbikeshare.com/, but so far it is only in Thai, although they have been promising to do it in English for three years.

Rental stations are located in tourist areas in the center and near attractions, there are 50 of them in total. But here is the area of the Ratannakosin peninsula where The Grand Royal Palace, The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Khao San tourist area and many other interesting places have been bypassed. A map of the stations can be seen on the rental stations themselves, and on the website, but the website is only in Thai. Also here is a google map with marked stations - https://www.google.com/maps.

The stations are automated, i.e. you take bicycles without the participation of personnel, they are released by an automatic lock, and you also return them to the "stall". That is why in order to start using them, you will first have to visit the office to register with your passport.

The office, the name, of course, is conditional, we are talking about stations where people are on duty and register. Such stations are located on Phra Athit and Silom streets. There you will need to fill out registration forms to buy a smart card. This is something like a bank card, which will then need to be paid at terminals at rental stations. It costs 320 baht (9.81 USD, see the currency of Thailand and the exchange rate), after the purchase, 100 baht will be credited to it, and the rest will have to be replenished. With this card, you go to any station, touch the terminal with it and enter the PIN code, after which the bike will unlock from the "stall" and the time will count down. From now on, you are fully responsible for the rented transport, so it will not be superfluous to have a cable lock with you. Also, a bicycle helmet and elbow pads will not hurt for safety.

The countdown stops when you return the bike to the same or another station, after which the money is withdrawn from the card.:

• The first 15 minutes are free
• up to 1 hour – 10 baht (0.31 USD)
• up to 3 hours – 20 baht (0.61 USD)
• up to 5 hours – 40 baht (1.23 USD)
• up to 6 hours – 60 baht (1.84 USD)
• up to 8 hours – 80 baht (2.45 USD)
• more than 8 hours – 100 baht (3.07 USD)

A very strange payment system, isn't it. For some reason, for 1 hour of use from 5 to 6, you will have to pay 20 baht for 1 hour, and 10 baht for all other hours. If you return the bike after midnight, you will also receive a fine of 500 baht.

Returning the bike to the station is also very simple: put it in an empty space, and again attach the card to the terminal. If there is no free space at the station, you can call the operator by phone, where they will tell you where the nearest available seats are.