The ticket fare on the public Bangkok buses operated by BMTA and Thai Smile Bus depends on the bus route, type of bus, and the time of journey. To get an idea about how much the journey on the local bus should cost, discover a detailed guide to Bangkok bus ticket prices with all the different Bangkok bus fare rates and ticket options available for using the bus in the city.
Bangkok Bus Service Providers
Public bus services in Bangkok are operated by the governmental Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and private operator Thai Smile Group (also called Thai Smile Bus), which was established in 2020 and jointly invested with 8 original private bus companies with licenses to operate public transport routes.
If you prefer a more tourist-friendly way of exploring main Bangkok attractions by bus, you can choose one of the Bangkok hop-on hop-off bus services. Simply book online a Bangkok Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Ticket and see the most famous attractions in the city at your own pace for 24, 48, or 72 hours.
Bangkok Bus Fare & Tickets
As it was mentioned previously, the Bangkok bus ticket fare depends on the following factors:
- Bus route.
- Type of bus.
- Time of journey.
- Distance of trip.
There are bus routes with a special set price for any trip on the route. These bus routes are normally connecting one of Bangkok's airports with the city.
A bus fare depends on the type of bus, as different fare rates are applied for regular fan buses and for air-conditioned buses. There are also several types of the air-conditioned buses, each of which has slightly different pricing.
Bangkok buses that operate overnight normally have a surcharge for the nighttime rides.
While the regular fan buses have a fixed fare for any length of journey, the price of the trip on an air-conditioned bus depends on the distance.
Bangkok Regular Fan Bus Fare
The base Bangkok bus fare for BMTA-operated regular buses (red-cream buses) is 8 THB.
The ticket fare gets higher at nighttime and becomes 9.5 THB, as there's a surcharge during late hours. Expect to pay a higher price when taking a bus between 23:00 and 05:00.
The regular Bangkok bus fare can also reach 10 THB, as BMTA buses using the expressway add a service fee of 2 THB.
The private bus service providers that use fan buses of different colors (not red-cream ones) usually also charge 10 THB for any journey on the bus.
Bangkok Air-Conditioned BMTA Bus Fare
Bangkok air-conditioned bus fare depends on the length of your journey and the category of the air-conditioned bus. The air-conditioned bus fare range is from 13 to 26 THB for a single trip.
There are 3 categories of public air-conditioned buses in Bangkok with different fare rates:
- Air-Conditioned Bus (Cream-Blue): 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 THB (depending on the distance traveled)
- Air-Conditioned Bus (Euro 2, Yellow-Orange): 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 THB (depending on the distance traveled)
- Air-Conditioned Bus (NGV, Blue): 15, 20, 25 THB (depending on the distance traveled)
If the air-conditioned bus uses the expressway from 05:00 to 23:00, there's also a 2 THB surcharge for expressway use.
You will only know the exact price of your journey on the bus. Tell the conductor your destination (choose some famous landmark near your destination, such as a shopping mall, market, or temple), and the conductor will tell you the price of the ticket.
Fare rates for the special airport bus routes S1, A1, A2, A3, and A4 are different from the ones listed above and are from 30 to 60 THB (depending on the route).
Electric Thai Smile Bus Fare
The fare for the electric air-conditioned bus, operated by Thai Smile Group, depends on the distance traveled and is the following:
- 15 THB: not more than 4 km
- 20 THB: from 4 to 16 km
- 25 THB: more than 16 km
An additional fee of 2 THB is charged when taking the expressway.
In case of taking the bus to or from Suvarnabhumi Airport, an additional fee of 10 THB is charged.
If you will be using the electric bus and boat service several times a day, get Thai Go Day Pass that covers all Thai Smile Bus routes as well as Thai Smile Boat routes.
Bangkok Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Fare
Standard Bangkok Hop-On Hop-Off bus ticket prices are the following:
- 24-hour bus pass - 800 THB
- 48-hour bus pass - 900 THB
- 72-hour bus pass - 1,000 THB
Bus tickets can be conveniently booked online here: Bangkok Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tickets.