Phuket bus stations - new and old bus terminals, the final destination of fixed-route taxis

Phuket's New Bus Terminal (Bus terminal-2)

Phuket's New Bus Terminal (Bus terminal-2) is currently the main bus station of the province Phuket. It is on it that intercity buses arrive and depart from it outside the island throughout Thailand. The offices of some private carriers in the southern provinces are also located here. Buses here are both large and minivans.

Among the main tourist routes here are Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin, Cha-am, Koh Samui, Krabi, Lanta Island, Surat Thani (transfer to trains, or to get to Koh Samui), Hatiai (Had Yai to get to Malaysia by land), Satun (Satun, ferry to Langkawi in Malaysia). For the schedule and directions, see below.

Tickets are sold at regular ticket offices, but there are also branded ticket offices of travel companies. Tickets for frequent destinations can be purchased immediately before departure (this is Bangkok, Hua Hin, Cha-am, Krabi), and for other destinations it is better to buy them in advance, at least a day in advance. Tickets for buses of some companies can be purchased at travel agencies in the resorts of the island, and the price will include a transfer to the station.

There are shops around the terminal, there is a motorcycle rental at a price of 200 baht per day (price in 2014). Opposite the station across the street is the cheapest and largest supermarket of manufactured goods on the whole island – SuperCheap.

How to get to Phuket's new Bus Terminal

Unfortunately, the new bus terminal is located in an inconvenient location outside Phuket town on Thepkrasattri Road (see. new Phuket bus station on the map). It can be reached directly only by taxi, tuk-tuk (up to 600 baht) or motorcycle taxi (up to 300 baht).

To get to the bus station cheaper, you can transfer to Phuket Town. One option is to get to the old bus station (Bus terminal–1, see below) by local bus, and from there for 10 baht by minibus, which departs approximately every half hour.

Another option is to use the Sonthaew minibus. To the new bus terminal from the center of Phuket Town from the taxi stand (cm. parking on the map) is songteo for 20 baht. To find it, you need to ask the drivers of minibuses, and do not believe taxi drivers and tuk-tukers that there is no such route. In order to get from the beaches to the parking lot of fixed-route taxis in Phuket Town, you can also use a fixed-route taxi or local buses from the beaches. For example, the cost of a trip from Patong beach is 30 baht, 1 hour in time. Thus, from Patong you can get to the new bus terminal for 50 baht and a little more than an hour and a half. To get from the bus station by minibus to the parking lot in Phuket Town, you need to go to Thepkrasattri Road (literally a few dozen meters) and catch the first songteo in the direction of the city (to the left if you stand with your back to the station). Read more about fixed-route taxis and transport in Phuket here.

Well, another great option if you come and leave Phuket from the bus station is to rent a motorbike right at the station upon arrival for the entire period of your stay on the island. The cost per day starts from 200 baht (in 2014), discounts are offered for a long rental period.

Phuket Old Bus Station (Bus terminal-1)

The old bus terminal is located in the center of Phuket Town (cm. Phuket old bus station on the map). Currently, it is used only for several routes on the territory of the province (island), including to/from Phuket airport. Some buses and minibuses to the beaches of the island start their route from here, but they go very rarely, and in any case they reach the bus stop in the center (see below), and there they stand again, collecting passengers.

The only benefit from this bus station for tourists is that you can get here from the airport or the new bus station, and transfer to the beaches by bus. But even in this case, we recommend that you walk a little to the taxi stand in the center, because you can get away from there much faster.

Routes:

• To the new bus station every 30 minutes there is a minibus for 10 baht. It is marked on the glass Bus terminal 1 - Bus terminal 2.
• From the airport, the bus arrives/departs according to this schedule - http://airportbusphuket.com/timetable.php. The cost is 100 baht.

Shuttle bus parking in the center of Phuket Town

In the center of Phuket Town, at the intersection of Bangkok Road and Ranong - Ratsada road, there is a spontaneous final stop for most of Phuket's fixed–route taxis (cm. parking on the map). There are also many taxi drivers and tuk-tukers on duty here. Almost all the few local regular buses from the old bus terminal No. 1 also stop here.

You need to know this place in order to transfer from one bus (minibus) to another. The transport system in Phuket is built on the principle of a star, i.e. all routes radially diverge from Phuket Town. It turns out that to get from the beach to the beach, you need to come here by bus or minibus and make a transfer here.

This parking lot is not organized in any way and is located right on Ranong Road and around the ring at the intersection of roads. Minibuses are simply parked along the road and waiting for passengers. To find a minibus to the right place, you need to ask taxi drivers specifically, and not tuk-tukers or taxi drivers, who almost always say that transport does not go where you need it, and offer to use their services.

Bus schedule to Phuket