Tuk tuk in Pattaya - routes, price and rules of use

Despite the fact that the resort area in Pattaya covers a vast area, getting around its areas will not be difficult for you. The transport system in Pattaya is very developed, convenient and accessible.

The main type of public transport here is: tuk-tuk or songeo.

The name "tuk-tuk" is the name given to this mode of transport by tourists. The Thais prefer to use the official name, songteo, which means "two benches.

What is a knock-knock

The Songteo is a Japanese pickup truck converted for passenger transportation. At the front there is a cab like a passenger car. A conductor can sit next to the driver. In the back there is a body with a roof and handrails, side walls without windows. Along the two sides there are two parallel benches for passengers, which can accommodate 10 to 12 people.

At the back of the tuk-tuk, there is a step platform that makes it easy to get into the tuk-tuk. It can also accommodate several passengers if there are no benches available.

Such lucky people will have to ride standing up, holding on to the handrails. During peak hours, up to 20 passengers can ride in a tuk-tuk at the same time. The Songteo in Pattaya are blue with yellow license plates.

For tourists coming to the country for the first time, a tuk-tuk is a rather exotic mode of transport.

Therefore, it is worth knowing the basic rules of use:

  • The tuk-tuks don't have the usual stops that we are used to, except for the terminals. Therefore, you can get in and out of a tuk-tuk at any point along the route. To stop the vehicle, all you have to do is raise your hand. To get off, you just have to press one of the many red buttons located near the handrail under the roof.
  • It's not customary to walk here in the heat, so don't be surprised if a passing songhtyo honks its horn. All you have to do is nod at the driver to get him to stop.
  • When you get off at the bus stop, you must go to the driver's booth and pay the fare. Remember, in Thailand there is left-hand traffic. The driver sits on the right, and you should approach the booth on the left side for safety reasons.
  • It is best to pay without change. It costs 10 baht to travel within the same neighborhood in a sngteo, which is used as public transportation. It will cost you 20 baht to go to another district.
  • One of the basic rules is not to ask the driver anything. Especially if he is standing at the terminus or moving through the city empty. The driver will immediately consider that you need a cab, and you will go alone without stopping at the point you want, but the price will automatically become ten times more. It is always better to be guided by passenger availability and get into the car where there are already passengers.
  • From the terminus, the songhtses depart only when the cabin is full. But since there are many of them on the routes, there are no traffic disruptions.

If you intend to use a tuk-tuk as a cab in Pattaya, it is worth talking to the driver. It is especially advantageous when you need to get at night and a large group to one hotel. For a regular cab in Pattaya you will pay from 300 baht, tuk-tuk will cost 30 baht per person.

How to distinguish a public tuk-tuk from a cab

There are no external differences between them. The same machine can operate in different modes. To orient yourself, you need to remember a few rules:

If you see a tuk-tuk in a street where, according to the map, they shouldn't go, then it's a cab.

If the car is on the route, but completely empty, the cab driver is probably looking for customers.

But it could also be the driver of a public songho, returning at the end of his shift. He wouldn't mind working as a cab, either.

If there are only a few passengers in the car and it doesn't stop for your vote, it's a cab that takes passengers to a certain point.

Tuk-tuk routes

The scheme of public transport in Pattaya is simple, just understand the endpoints of the routes, their intersections and correlate this information with a map, which is free at the hotel.

Map of tuk-tuk routes 

1. Songteo on Sukhumvit Highway - orange

Suksumvit is one of the main highways in the country. It runs away from the hotels and wraps around, as if fencing off, the entire resort area of Pattaya. Here the tuk-tuks are white, the fare will cost you 20 baht, regardless of distance. If you need to quickly get to another area of Pattaya, self sightseeing or visit large supermarkets, it is worth taking this route. The end points of the white sungtao route are Sappahin town and Siracha town.

2. The route along the Teprazit street is dark green

The route along Tepprazit Street is designed for passengers going to the night market. That's why tuk-tuks only run here from Friday to Sunday. The rest of the time, if necessary, you have to take a cab.

3. the route along North Street - dark purple

Tuk-tuks are not very frequent here. One of the stops is near the Best supermarket on North Street, near the intersection with Naklua. The final stop is the intersection of North Street and Sukhumvit Highway. It is a circular route, the fare, regardless of distance - 10 baht.

Another route leaves from the North Bus Station, goes along North Street, then along Beach Street and to the terminus on Wolkin Street. The fare is 20 baht.

4. Traffic on Central Street is purple

The stop is located at the beginning of Central Street, where it intersects with Sukhumvit Highway. After going all the way to Central Street, the tuk-tuks go to Beach Street and reach Volkin Street, then exit to Second Street and turn back to Central Street. The interval is about 15 minutes.

5. Transport on South Street - blue

The starting point is at the intersection of Sukhumvit Highway and South Street, and the terminus is at the Chaimongkron Temple, also on South Street. The tuk-tuks go all the way down South Street, then take Second Street, turn onto Beach Street at the Dolphinarium, go all the way down Beach Street and return again to South Street.

There is also a route that runs along the ring, exclusively on South Street, without turning anywhere.

6. The Naklua movement is yellow 

There are two routes for passengers to get around. They both start at the south end of Naklua Street and head north. At the end of Naklua, they turn around and head south, turning onto North Street.

After 200 meters, turn around and go in the direction of the Dolphinarium.

Then one route takes the tuk-tuks back to the starting stop on Naklua Street. And the second route goes all the way down Beach Street, turns onto Second Street and returns to the final stop.

7. The route from Jomtien to Central Pattaya brown

Traffic is circular, the parking lot is located in the southernmost part of Jomtien. You drive along the seashore, passing the entire beach. Then turn to Tappraya Street, drive through it and turn to the Second Street. At the Dolphinarium, you turn onto Beach Street and drive to Wolkin Street.

Then they turn to Second again, stopping near the school.

Here they have a short layover designed to fill the cabin with passengers on their way to Jomtien. If you travel within one area, the fare is 10 baht, if you need to get to another - 20 baht.

8. Route: Second Street - Beach Street - green and blue

The terminus is on Second Street (near the intersection with South Street). This route takes you all the way along Sekond Road, turns left at the dolphin sculpture, and immediately exits onto Beach Street. They take this route back to the starting stop on Second Street.

You can use this route to get to, for example, all the major shopping malls in Pattaya or to Wolkin Street.

Helpful hints

Be sure to pick up a free map at the hotel, which shows the routes of public tuk-tuks in Pattaya.

Find your desired destination on it, and then determine where you are now. Google maps would be the best option, as they work perfectly in Thailand.

Then you find the location of the nearest sngtao routes and calculate how to get to the point you need with the minimum number of transfers.

Remember that tuk-tuks stop everywhere along their route.

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