Public vans are a popular means of transportation for domestic travel in Thailand, and you can encounter them all over the country. Intercity vans run more frequently than buses and cover the distance faster. Public vans are also common in Bangkok, as they connect the capital city with short-distance and mid-distance destinations. Discover a detailed guide to public van service in Bangkok. Here you will find the city’s main van stations and the most popular van routes from Bangkok to cities in Thailand.
Public Van Services in Bangkok
Bangkok has a public van service, which is supplementing some of the routes in the city. However, using these vans might be too complicated for foreigners, as in most cases all the information on the van is in Thai only. Therefore, in this guide we focus on the public vans that are used for intercity travel from Bangkok.
Normally, intercity van services in Bangkok have a timetable, but it's not uncommon for the vans to depart only when they’re about full. It is best to keep your plans flexible when traveling by van.
Van tickets can be bought at the ticket counter of the bus station. However, the ticket sales are not centralized. At the station, you will find many counters that sell tickets for different van companies. Public van fares are reasonable, usually about the same as air-conditioned big buses. If you have a specific departure time in your mind, pre-booking minivan tickets might be a good idea. You can book van tickets here: Intercity Van Tickets from Bangkok.
Van Stations in Bangkok
The roads around the Victory Monument once were the busiest public van pick-up point in Bangkok. Several years ago, the Victory Monument was emptied of vans as they were moved to bus and van stations around Bangkok. Most of the public intercity vans were moved to the premises of the following 3 Bangkok bus terminals: Mochit Bus Station (Northern Bus Terminal), Ekkamai Bus Station (Eastern Bus Terminal), and Sai Tai Mai Bus Station (Southern Bus Terminal).
Mochit New Van Terminal
The biggest part of public van routes ended up at Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit), also known as Chatuchak Bus Terminal. To serve these vans, a separate van station called Mochit New Van Terminal was opened nearby the main bus station for the convenience of passengers. Also known as Minibus Station Chatuchak, Mochit New Van Terminal is currently the main van station in Bangkok.
This van terminal serves van routes from Bangkok to destinations in Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Central, and Western Thailand. At the terminal, there are 4 buildings serving vans and minibuses departing to different regions of Thailand:
- Lower North and Northeast (Building A)
- Center (Building B)
- East (Building C)
- West (Building D)
The most popular van routes from Bangkok to the lower North and Northeast of Thailand (Building A) are:
- Bangkok - Pak Chong (for Khao Yai National Park)
- Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima
Van routes to the central region of Thailand (Building B) include famous touristy destinations like Ayutthaya and Lopburi.
The most popular van routes to the east side of Thailand (Building C) cover destinations like Pattaya, Rayong (for Koh Samet), Trat (for Koh Chang), and many others:
- Bangkok - Pattaya City
- Mochit - Chonburi
- Bangkok - Sriracha
- Bangkok - Rayong
- Mochit - Chanthaburi
- Bangkok - Laem Chabang
- Bangkok - Chachoengsao
- Mochit - Trat
- Bangkok - Sattahip
- Bangkok - Aranyaprathet
Van routes to the west side of Thailand (Building D) include popular tourist destinations like Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, Cha-Am, Nakhon Pathom, and Samut Songkhram (for Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa Floating Market):
- Bangkok - Hua Hin
- Bangkok - Cha Am
- Mochit - Prachuap Khiri Khan
- Bangkok - Nakhon Pathom
- Bangkok - Kanchanaburi
- Mochit - Ratchaburi
- Bangkok - Phetchaburi
Ekkamai Bus Terminal
Ekkamai Bus Terminal is a bus station located on Sukhumvit Road next to the BTS Skytrain station, making it the most easily accessible van station in Bangkok. Also known as Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal, this bus station is mainly serviced by buses and vans running to destinations in Eastern Thailand such as Pattaya, Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Sriracha, Rayong, Chonburi, Trat, Chanthaburi, and others. There are many public van routes departing from Ekkamai Bus Station, and you will often find both buses and vans going to the same destination. Make sure that you choose the right type of transportation for your trip.
At Ekkamai Bus Terminal, you will see many ticket counters selling tickets for the specific bus or van company. The route, schedule, and ticket prices are normally presented on the ticket counter window, so you can easily check and compare conditions between different van operators.
The most popular van routes from Ekkamai:
- Bangkok - Pattaya
- Bangkok - Hua Hin
- Ekkamai - Trat
- Bangkok - Rayong
- Bangkok - Bang Saen
- Ekkamai - Sriracha
- Bangkok - Chanthaburi
- Bangkok - Chonburi
- Ekkamai - Chachoengsao
- Bangkok - Aranyaprathet (goes to the Thailand-Cambodia border crossing at Rong Khlua Market)
- Bangkok - Samut Songkhram (for Maeklong Railway Market)
Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal
Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal is one of the three main bus stations that also serve public vans in Bangkok. Also known as Southern Bus Terminal, the bus station is located on Borommaratchachonnani Road at the far western part of Bangkok. Southern Bus Terminal is mainly serviced by buses and vans running to various destinations in the southern and western parts of Thailand. A number of popular destinations in Eastern Thailand, such as Pattaya and Rayong, can also be reached directly from here.
At Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal, van tickets are sold outside the terminal. You will find ticket desks at the platform used by public vans and minibuses, which is located on the east side of the terminal building.
The most popular van routes from Sai Tai Mai:
- Bangkok - Hua Hin
- Bangkok - Kanchanaburi
- Sai Tai Mai - Samut Songkhram (the city of the famous Maeklong Railway Market)
- Bangkok - Amphawa Floating Market
- Bangkok - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
- Sai Tai Mai - Pattaya
- Bangkok - Rayong
Van Tickets
If you have a specific time of van departure in your mind, booking a ticket in advance is recommended, as vans for the most popular routes quite often fill up, especially during holidays. During the high season and public holidays, it is recommended to book a ticket online in advance due to the high demand for departures from Bangkok to various regions of Thailand.
You can check public van departure schedules and book van tickets online by using this search form.
Tips
In case you find using public van services in Bangkok too complicated, simply join a shared van tour from Bangkok to one of the popular tourist destinations surrounding the capital city. On a van tour, the small group of tourists is easier to manage, you get more attention from the guide, the tour can be more flexible, and traveling between attractions is faster, meaning that you can spend more time at the actual points of interest.
