Airport VIP Bus to and from Hua Hin

[wpcoe]

I sent an e-mail to Bell Travel about (a) the addition of the B50 booking charge and (2) the removal of the seat reservation and got a reasoned explanation about both.

The current booking system was crashing and causing duplicate bookings, oversold buses and more, so they had to turn to a new system. The new system is a work in progress and the ability to choose a seat selection while booking online is to be added later. I guess it was urgent to get a working system in place, even before all the add-ons were in place.

The booking fee is a bit confusing. It apparently relates to the joint operation of the Hua Hin buses by Roong Reung Coach and Bell Travel Service. The buses are operated by Roong Rueng but the online booking service was an option offered by Bell Travel. Bell Travel is subject to 7% VAT whereas Roong Rueng is not, so in the past Bell Travel absorbed the 7% VAT, but have now decided to not absorb it. The math is sketchy, but apparently it works for Bell Travel.

You can avoid the B50 fee by booking in person in a bus station office. You can also currently make a seat assignment at time of payment in person at the office. While waiting for the Hua Hin to Pattaya bus yesterday in the bus terminal I observed a few people buying their tickets and getting seat assignments for February, so it is, in fact, working that way already.

If you book online and want a seat assignment, you can e-mail Bell Travel with the booking confirmation number and seat request and they will reply with a confirmation of the seat assignment.

So, that's the background. I was impressed with the tone and content of the reply I received from Bell Travel.

[usual suspect]

It still amazes me how well-run this outfit is..I believe they DO try to make their system run as smooth & efficient as possible, despite all the setbacks the road to/from the airport can throw at them without any warning.

Full marks to to all involved within this company..

[Pleng]

Well.... yes. But they really need to put more busses on! Several times I've happened to need to get back from the airport at short notice and the wait for the next available bus has been 3, 4 and 6 hours. Obviously with the 6 hour wait I ended up going into town and chancing the minivan. The three and four hour waits I endured, but I suspect many others wouldn't.

I've also needed to book buses from HH to BKK, gone to the station the day before to be told that they're all fully booked or they only have one in the evening. I've even been there and they've been booked up for 2 or 3 days.

It's getting to the point that I probably won't consider using them for last minute bookings and just head straight for a minivan or train.

[m_right]

Tried booking online today and both the old and new sites are down. Not good for business.

[islandgirljenny]

After being completely offline for a week or so, the Bell Travel site (with buses from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi and back) is now online again. But with a decided downgrade: it now costs 50 baht to book online (it was free before, you just paid the price of the ticket) and you can no longer select your seat.

Another reader posted the company's explanation that there had been computerized overbooking and other such problems, but I've been riding the bus for two years and never saw any evidence of this, either from or to Hua Hin. I suspect that's just a cover story to justify raising prices.

While the site was offline--I called when I was in Bangkok and was told I would have to go to the airport ticket counter to book a ticket for the following day! which was definitely not an option--I looked into train travel, and found that for those of us who used to use the airport bus to get from Bangkok to Hua Hin and vice versa (not actually flying into or out from the airport), the train, although slow, is a pleasant, cheap, and enjoyable alternative.

Sorry, Bell Travel, I was long a fan of yours--in fact, I posted an announcement of how great you were on the Thai Visa site a couple of years ago, and right after that the buses went from nearly empty to almost always full! don't know if there's a connection--but the fee for online booking is not rider-friendly. Please consider getting rid of this!

As to the trains, prices range from 152 baht (non-aircon but quite comfortable 2nd class seats) to over 600 baht for fancy air conditioned sleepers. There is also a super-bargain train (free to Thai citizens, about 44 baht for foreigners I think) that runs once a day between HH <—> BKK. Ask at the train station for details, as this one doesn't show up on the SRT web site (you can't book it until an hour ahead of time, which means there are always seats available--but it's a very slow train with hard 3rd-class benches, so bring a cushion and something to read)!

happy travels,

Jenny

[m_right]

When I try to book I get a website under construction.
http://www.belltravelservice.com/
Should try a different address?

[Big Boy]

http://airporthuahinbus.com/

[m_right]

Doesn't work if you want to book.

[Big Boy]

I've just taken it a long way through the booking process, and saw nothing to make me think it wouldn't work. I guess it must fail in the latter stages of the booking process.

[HHTel]

My guests have been using it both ways without problems for a couple of years. The latest being 2 or 3 weeks ago to go back to the airport. Always booked online. It's been an excellent service and saved me many a trip to the airport. I do hope it's not going 'down the pan'.

[m_right]

I finally got in. Been trying for days with no luck. Playing around with different browsers and using the two different sites cleared up whatever it was that that directed me to the under construction web page. No more under construction.
I think something to do with my webcache.

[ricke44]

We are planning on catching this bus at the Cha-am stop...any hints as to where the stop actually is? Hopefully northbound side of Phetkasem...is there a kiosk or anything to identify it? We do have our tickets bought already, so no worries there..just want to make sure we know where to go....

[Sabai Sabai]

We are planning on catching this bus at the Cha-am stop...any hints as to where the stop actually is? Hopefully northbound side of Phetkasem...is there a kiosk or anything to identify it? We do have our tickets bought already, so no worries there..just want to make sure we know where to go....

Northbound side, yes. It stops in front of the Krungsri/Ayudyha Bank. Opposite the Bangkok Bank and 7-11 on the other side of the road which is the drop-off point on the way back from the airport.

There is no kiosk or anything to identify it, just make sure you're there in plenty time and make yourself visible to the driver I guess!

[Homer]

We are planning on catching this bus at the Cha-am stop...any hints as to where the stop actually is? Hopefully northbound side of Phetkasem...is there a kiosk or anything to identify it? We do have our tickets bought already, so no worries there..just want to make sure we know where to go....

Northbound side, yes. It stops in front of the Krungsri/Ayudyha Bank. Opposite the Bangkok Bank and 7-11 on the other side of the road which is the drop-off point on the way back from the airport.

There is no kiosk or anything to identify it, just make sure you're there in plenty time and make yourself visible to the driver I guess!

"make yourself visible"? Sure, but wouldn't it be great if there was some way for the driver to know he had a pickup in Cha-Am...

[SunandFun]

There is a proper Bus Stop at this location. So you can sit out of the sun and wait. If you have purchased tickets, the driver will stop regardless of if he sees you or not. You will see the sign on the bus.