Public transport in Phuket

The basic moments

Those who are planning to spend their vacation in Phuket should know some facts about local public transport. Phuket is one of the most popular resorts in Thailand so the public transport is not cheap here. For example, a trip from the hotel to the beach or in the opposite direction will cost you about 300-400 baht, and to drive a couple of kilometers inside the city will cost 150-200 baht.

Public transport

Public transport in Phuket is represented by two kinds of transport: tuk-tuk and songteo.

Tuk-tuk is a small taxi on motorcycle traction, which is designed for trips over short distances. Tuk-tuk is the most popular and inexpensive transport in Thailand, except Phuket. Prices are very high at the island. For example, a trip between large beaches will cost 300-400 baht during the season in 2018. Trip at night time will cost more.

If we compare to other resorts, it will cost about 50 baht to drive the same distance by tuk-tuk at Koh Samui but only in Chaweng beach, in other districts you can travel only by taxi. In Pattaya the same trip will be only 20 baht.

Songteo is a semi-closed truck which drives mainly along the central part of the island. In translation from Thai songteo means "two boards", which quite clearly characterizes the internal construction of the bus. In the salon you will see only 2 benches for seats, which are located along the sides of the transport.

You can also take a taxi in Phuket. You need just to fill a special form at the website. The cost of a taxi to the airport will depend on the area: for example, from Patong, Naithon Beach, Nai Yang it will be 790 baht, and from Kata, Karon, Kamala, Surin it will cost 890 baht.

Rent a car or motorbike

If you can drive car or motorbike you can rent it in Phuket. It will be cheaper to rent a car in advance in the Internet. Such large companies as Sixt, Avis, Hertz, Thai Rent a Car and Budget Thailand give the opportunity to order a car directly at their website and the carwill be delivered to the right time and place. The price is determined by the number of days. For example, if you rent a car for less than a week, the rent will cost 800-1000 baht per day. If the rental period is more than 2 weeks, the cost will be 600 baht per day. The price may depend on the season: during the period of tourist activity the cost will be higher. It is also possible to rent a car with a driver. This pleasure will cost you about 500 baht for 3 hours (Toyota Commuter).

You can rent a motorbike right in the hotel or in one of the many street offices. The rental price also depends on the time and quality of the transport and starts from 150 baht a day.

While renting a car or motorbike in Phuket you should remember that the local roads are of average quality with pits, bumps, and bad lighting during the night time. There are a lot of narrow and winding roads, for driving which you need a good experience.