Phuket transportation, what to use to move

Phuket is a fairly large island, its length is more than 50 kilometers, and the length of the road along the perimeter of the island is more than 120 kilometers. Public transport is poorly developed, and, most likely, you will have to use "tourist transport" in the form of taxis, tuk-tuks, rent a motorcycle or a car.

Public transport, fixed-route taxis

Public transport in Phuket, represented in the form of buses and fixed-route taxis (Songthaew), and is not very convenient to move. The fact is that all bus routes are organized in the form of a star with a terminal at the old bus station in Phuket (see Phuket bus stations) and a taxi stand in the city center on Ranong Road (cm. parking on the map). As a result, to get from one beach to another, even if they are nearby, you have to go to Phuket, and then transfer to another bus to your destination. It's the same with Phuket airport: first you need to take an airport bus from there to the old bus terminal for 100 baht (see schedule), and then go to the beaches.

On the routes there are large buses and small Songthaew (do not confuse them with tuk-tuks) from small trucks converted into a bus with two benches. The price per trip ranges from 10 to 35 baht on different routes. There are no stopping points other than the final ones, and stops for both disembarkation and boarding are made on demand. That is, you can stand near the road along which the desired route runs, anywhere and stop the bus. Buses run at approximately 30-minute intervals until 18:00 hours.

Sometimes buses on the way to Phuket disembark tourists not at the bus station, but in the city center, from where they will have to get to the bus station on their own.

Main routes and cost (baht):

• Phuket Town – Patong - 30 baht
• Phuket Town Rawai / Naiharn – 30/40
• Phuket Town – Kata / Karon – 35/40
• Phuket Town Chalong – 30
• Phuket Town – Cape Panva – 30
• Phuket Town – Kamala / Surin – 30/40
• Phuket Town Airport – 100 (schedule - http://airportbusphuket.com/timetable.php)
• Old Bus Terminal – New Bus Terminal – 10 baht

Taxis, motorcycle taxis and tuk-tuks

Taxis on the island are quite expensive compared to Bangkok, and for a trip the same distance as in Bangkok, Phuket will have to pay 2-3 times more.

The usual branded taxi is presented in the form of a taxi with meters (taxi meter) and it is very easy to recognize it by the inscription taxi-meter and checkers on the roof. This is the best way, and the cheapest of all types of taxis. But, unfortunately, the official taxi on the island is in some shortage. Before the trip, do not forget to ask the driver to turn on the meter, otherwise at the end of the trip he will announce his fixed price to you.

There are also a lot of private taxi drivers on the island in cars that, although they try to look the same as the official taxi, are not equipped with meters. A trip to them at a fixed price is somewhat more expensive than an official taxi. Be sure to discuss the price in advance.

Motorcycle taxis in Phuket are quite common and very cheap, but more dangerous than a car taxi. Be sure to wear a helmet.

There are even more Tuk-tuks in Phuket than regular taxis. Tuk-tuks do not travel on set routes, but work just like taxis. They are very small Songthaew, i.e. trucks converted for transporting people. Most often they are red (see photo), and sometimes yellow. Wherever you look in the tourist areas of Phuket, you will see a tuk-tuk waiting for you everywhere.

You can't call a cheap and comfortable trip on Phuket tuk-tuks, but if you have several people (but usually more than six won't fit into a tuk-tuk), then there is a chance to save. A short trip around the city will cost from 50 baht, to the city from Patong you can bargain for 400 baht. Be sure to discuss the cost of the trip before the trip starts, otherwise you will be given an exorbitant price. And before the trip starts, it's worth haggling, because the price will still be too high.

Rent a car, motorcycle

This is a convenient and most economical way to move around the island. But before you decide to self-drive on the island, you should know that local drivers drive the way they know how, and not the way they should. Practically none of the locals follow the traffic rules, and all this is aggravated by the difficult terrain of the island, bad signs and poor visibility. Every year, more than 250 people die on the roads of Phuket out of more than 10,000 injured in road accidents. Every nine out of ten accidents are accidents involving motorcycles. There are also frequent cases of "road showdowns" between drivers who have not shared the road, including shooting and fatalities. Therefore, do not rush to rent a car or motorcycle right away, but first take a closer look at how the locals drive, and only after that make a decision whether to rent or not.

Rent a motorcycle (scooter) will cost from 150 baht per day. When renting for a long time, they make a discount. To rent, sometimes you need to present your passport and leave a deposit (about 1000 baht) or a credit card, more often you are asked to leave your passport as collateral. The rights at the rental point will not be asked from you, although theoretically they should be, and it is the category "A". For driving without a license, you face a fine of 500 baht. Be sure to wear a helmet, including the passenger, and then you are unlikely to have problems with the police. Recently, in Phuket, the rules on the roads have tightened and often the police conduct raids and catch everyone who drives without a helmet and without a license. So don't neglect it.

You can find rental at every turn in tourist areas. At the new intercity bus station in Phuket, there is also a motorcycle rental for 200 baht per day, so you can immediately get on a bike and go to your beach upon arrival on the island by bus.

To drive a car in Thailand, tourists no longer need to obtain an international driver's license (IDP). On May 1, 2021, the long-awaited event finally took place - Thailand ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which it initially joined back in 1968. And now in Thailand, theoretically, it is possible to manage rented transport using ordinary Russian rights. However, so far in Thailand there has not been a practice of adopting national VUS on the roads by police officers, therefore, in order not to finish off our rightness every time, we still recommend that you additionally issue an IDP. For more information about renting a transport in Thailand, read here.

The cost of renting a car in Thailand starts from 600 baht when booking for several days. You can find and book a car for rent using the search form and compare prices from different rental companies: