page_title: Transport in Bangkok
section_title: Buses
hierarchical_section_title: Transport in Bangkok / Buses
caption_attribution_description: English: BMTA 511(3-70457)
context_page_description: Bangkok has 9.7 million automobiles and motorbikes, a number the government says is eight times more than can be properly accommodated on existing roads. And those numbers are increasing by 700 additional cars and 400 motorbikes every day. Charoen Krung Road, the first road to be built by Western techniques, was completed in 1864. Since then, the road network has expanded to accommodate the sprawling city's needs. Besides roads, Bangkok is served by several other transport systems. Bangkok's canals and ferries historically served as a major mode of transport, but they have long since been eclipsed by land traffic. A complex elevated expressway network helps bring traffic into and out of the city centre, but Bangkok's rapid growth has put a large strain on infrastructure. By the late-1970s, Bangkok became known as "the city of traffic disaster". Although rail transport was introduced in 1893 and electric trams served the city from 1894 to 1968, it was only in 1999 that Bangkok's first rapid transit system began operation. Older public transport systems include an extensive bus network and boat services which still operate on the Chao Phraya and two canals.
context_section_description: Bangkok has an extensive bus network providing local transit services within the Greater Bangkok area. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) operates a monopoly on bus services, with substantial concessions granted to private operators. 3,506 BMTA buses, together with private joint buses, minibuses, songthaews and vans totalling 16,321 in number, operate on 470 routes throughout the region. Although a large number of commuters still ride buses daily, passenger numbers have been almost consistently in decline in the past two decades. The BMTA reported an average of 1,048,442 trips per day in 2010, a quarter of the 4,073,883 reported in 1992.
  A separate bus rapid transit system owned by the BMA has been in operation since 2010. Known simply as the BRT, the system currently consists of a single line running from the business district at Sathon to Ratchaphruek on the west side of the city. Although further lines had been planned, development on all route expansions are currently halted.
  Long-distance bus services to all provinces operate out of Bangkok. The Transport Co., Ltd. is the BMTA's long-distance counterpart. North- and northeast-bound buses leave from the Chatuchak (Mo Chit 2) Bus Terminal, while eastbound and southbound buses leave from Ekkamai and South Bangkok terminals, respectively.
caption: BMTA Light Blue Air-conditioned Bus in Bangkok
exif: {"Image Tag 0x000B": "Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384", "Image Make": "Xiaomi", "Image Model": "Redmi Note3", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384", "Image DateTime": "2018:12:03 22:05:58", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "2362", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "2", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[3, 41, 22]", "GPS GPSDate": "2018:11:27", "Image GPSInfo": "4958", "Image Padding": "[]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "96", "Thumbnail YResolution": "96", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "5140", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9135", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/442", "EXIF FNumber": "2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Unidentified", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2018:11:27 10:41:23", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2018:11:27 10:41:23", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "8789/1000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "357/100", "EXIF SubSecTime": "072497", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "072497", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "072497", "EXIF Tag 0x9999": "{\"sensor_type\":\"rear\",\"mirror\":false}", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4608", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2592", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "4938", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "4", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}