Sai Tai Mai Bus Station – Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal

Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal, also known as Sai Tai Mai Bus Station, is one of 3 main bus stations in Bangkok. Sai Tai Mai Bus Station is located on Borommaratchachonnani Rd, at the far western part of Thai capital. The new Southern bus station is serviced by buses and minivans running to various destinations in Southern Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi, ferry piers to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, Hua Hin and to the western part of the country with Kanchanaburi and Nakhon Pathom being the top choices there.

Bus Station Facilities

Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal building also houses a shopping center called SC Plaza. You can do some shopping for clothing, books, magazines, cosmetics and other cheap goods while waiting for your bus.

7-Eleven convenience store is located on the "G" floor of the terminal building so you can stock up on food, snacks and beverages right at the station.

We've spotted at least 3 Café Amazon coffee shops in different parts of the terminal. There's also KFC and even a food court on the top floor of Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal. A number of local style street restaurants can be found just outside the terminal building at the platform used by minibuses (vans).

There's also a Left Luggage service provided at Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal. Left luggage office is open from 05:00 to 21:00 and can be found on the 1st floor where the regular bus ticket booths are located. Left luggage service here charges 40 THB per day for a small bag, 50 THB per day for a middle bag and 60 THB per day to store a large bag. Leaving your bag overnight will cost you 100 THB.

Luggage storage locker operating 24 hours can also be found at the terminal.

Sai Tai Mai Bus Station's regular bus ticket booths with a small waiting area for passengers nearby can be found on the 1st floor of the terminal.

Van tickets are sold outside the terminal. You will find ticket selling desks at the platform used by minibuses which is located on the east side of the terminal building.

Tickets

Buses on the popular short distance routes such as Bangkok - Kanchanaburi depart every 20 minutes so there’s no need to book tickets in advance.

However, if you are planning to take a long distance bus to one of popular touristy destinations, booking a ticket in advance is highly recommended. For the night buses during the high season and all buses during holiday periods such as New Year and Songkran Festival in April, booking a ticket in advance is almost mandatory as buses on the most popular routes quickly fill up.

Some of bus companies offer online-booking systems and let you book seats in advance. However, booking a ticket via online agent is more convenient as they offer more options for your trip.

You can use this search form for booking your bus ticket online.

Buses

At Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal, you will find rows of regular bus ticket counters of both governmental bus company and many private buses on the 1st floor of the terminal. The route, schedules and ticket prices are presented on the windows of ticket counter so you can easily check and compare conditions between different operators.

There are 3 types of buses operating at Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal: VIP Air-Conditioned Buses with less seats (24 or 32 - the less seats on the bus, the more space you get), 1st Class Air-Conditioned Buses offering direct service and 2nd Class Air-Conditioned Buses that generally have frequent stops to pick up passengers so the journey on such a bus might take a bit longer. 

999 Bus

Transport Company, known as 999 bus, also called “Bor.Kor.Sor.” in Thai, is operated by the government. 999 bus operates on many domestic routes such as Phuket, Surat Thani, Donsak Pier (ferries to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan), Songkhla, Hat Yai, Chumphon (ferry to Koh Tao), Ranong (ferry to Koh Phayam), Krabi (ferry to Koh Phi Phi), Trang, Nakhon Si Tammarat and others.

Ticket counters of 999 bus company are open from 4:00 to 21:00.

Roong Reuang Coach

Roong Reuang Coach is a bus company, offering direct bus service from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Pattaya. The current fare is 108 THB per passenger. There are 5 daily buses departing from Sai Tai Mai to Pattaya at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00.

Minibuses

There are also minibuses departing from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to the destinations in Southern Thailand and Central Thailand. You will find both buses and minibuses going to the same destination. A number of popular destinations in Eastern Thailand such as Pattaya and Rayong can also be reached directly from Sai Tai Mai. Minibus tickets are sold outside at the platform of minibuses.

Minibuses in most cases are faster than regular buses but their security records are really poor in Thailand so its better to avoid using them, unless it's necessary. 

Popular Destinations

Phuket

Governmental 999 bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Phuket run 4 times a day. VIP bus departs at 20:00 and costs 913 THB. There are also 3 first-class buses departing at 07:30, 16:30 and 18:30 (costs 587 THB). 

Check ticket counters No. 23, 24, 25, 53, 54, 63, 75 for more options and departure times. There is an early bus at 06:40 but most of buses from Bangkok to Phuket depart from 15:30 to 20:30 as taking an overnight bus is the most popular option for covering this route. The price varies from 580 to 1000 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Phuket takes about 12-13 hours.

Most of the buses going to Phuket also make a stop at Khao Lak and Phang Nga.

Krabi

Governmental 999 bus from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station to Krabi run 3 times a day. VIP bus departs at 18:30 and costs 862 THB. There are also 2 first-class buses departing at 17:30 and 19:30 (costs 554-574 THB).

Check ticket counters No. 16, 37, 38, 39 for more options and departure times. There is an early bus at 07:00 but most of buses from Bangkok to Krabi depart from 17:30 to 20:40 as taking an overnight bus is the most popular option for covering this route. The price varies from 550 to 1000 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Krabi takes about 12 hours. 

Buses stop at Krabi Bus Terminal which is located to the north of Krabi Town. From there you can take a ferry to Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta. Railay Beach is accessible by long-tail boats.

Surat Thani (Koh Samui / Koh Phangan)

Most of the buses going to Southern Thailand pass Surat Thani so there are plenty of options to choose from. However, Surat Thani is rarely the final destination for foreign travelers as in most cases it is just used as a gateway to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan islands. The ferry piers are quite far from the city of Surat Thani so taking a bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal all the way to Donsak Pier is a better option.

Governmental 999 bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Donsak Pier run 5 times a day. VIP buses depart at 19:00 and 20:00 (costs 781 THB). There are also 2 first-class buses departing at 19:00, 19:30 and 20:15 (costs 502 THB). It's also possible to buy a combined bus+ferry ticket directly to Koh Samui or Koh Phangan.

Check ticket counters No. 16, 19, 21, 25, 27, 28, 35, 36, 40, 49, 53, 54, 72, 74, 76 for more options and departure times if you are going to Surat Thani. There is an early bus at 09:15 but most of buses from Bangkok to Surat Thani depart from 17:20 to 20:20. The price varies from 450 to 800 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip to Surat Thani takes about 10-11 hours. Add 3-4 hours for reaching Koh Samui and 4-5 hours for getting to Koh Phangan from Surat Thani.

Chumphon (Koh Tao)

Tickets for buses running from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station to Chumphon where you can catch a ferry to Koh Tao are sold at the counters No. 18, 20, 21, 30, 48, 73. Buses from Bangkok to Chumphon depart at 09:00, 12:00, 14:00 and few times from 19:00 to 22:00. The price varies from 320 to 820 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip to Chumphon takes about 7 hours. Getting from Chumphon to Koh Tao can take about 3-4 hours more.

Hua Hin

Regular buses from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Hua Hin depart at 11:30, 14:00 and 16:00. Tickets can be bought at the counter No. 91 and cost 155 THB. The trip from Bangkok to Hua Hin takes about 3 hours with a stop at Cha-Am on the way.

Vans are more frequent as they depart every 30 minutes from 05:00 to 22:00. Expect to pay about 180 THB for a ticket.

Ranong (Koh Phayam / Koh Chang Noi)

Governmental 999 bus from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station to Ranong run once a day. First-class bus departs at 20:30 and costs 403 THB.

Check ticket counters No. 18, 21, 30, 46, 73, 76 for more options and departure times. There is an early bus at 09:00 but most of buses from Bangkok to Ranong depart from 19:00 to 21:00. The price varies from 400 to 700 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Ranong takes about 9-10 hours. From there you can take a ferry to Koh Phayam or Koh Chang Noi.

Samut Songkhram (Maeklong)

There are vans departing from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Samut Songkhram every hour from 05:00 to 19:00. The trip costs 75 THB. The journey to the city of the famous Maeklong Railway Market takes about 2 hours.

The minibuses also make a stop at Maha Chai in Samut Sakhon. Maha Chai Market is one of the largest seafood markets in Thailand. 

At Samut Songkhram you can transfer to Amphawa Floating Market.

Amphawa and Damnoen Saduak

You can take a direct minibus from Sai Tai Mai to Amphawa Floating Market or Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Vans depart every hour from 06:00 to 18:00. Van ticket to one of these floating markets costs 70-80 THB. Normally the trip takes about 2 hours.

Kanchanaburi and Nakhon Pathom

Regular buses from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Kanchanaburi depart every 20 minutes from 04:00 to 20:00. Bus tickets can be bought at the counters No. 79, 80 and costs 110 THB. The journey to the city on the River Kwai takes about 3 hours. These buses also make a stop in Nakhon Pathom.

Vans to Kanchanaburi depart every hour from 05:00 to 21:00 and costs 100 THB. Nakhon Pathom can be reached by minivan for half that price.

Trang

Governmental 999 bus from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station to Trang run 4 times a day. VIP bus departs at 17:30 and costs 907 THB. There are also 3 first-class buses departing at 07:00, 18:30 and 19:30 (costs 583 THB).

Check ticket counters No. 27, 34, 49, 71 for more options and departure times. There are more buses departing from Bangkok to Trang from 16:40 to 19:00 as taking an overnight bus is the most popular option for covering this route. The price varies from 580 to 1000 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Trang takes about 12-13 hours. From there you can take a ferry to Koh Muk, Koh Kradan and Ko Ngai.

Satun

Governmental 999 bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Satun run 3 times a day. There are 3 first-class buses departing at 07:00, 18:00 and 18:30 (costs 670 - 679 THB).

Check ticket counters No. 27, 33, 34, 35, 49, 71 for more options and departure times. There are more buses departing from Bangkok to Trang from 16:40 to 19:30 as taking an overnight bus is the most popular option for covering this route. The price varies from 670 to 860 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Satun takes about 13-15 hours.

Hat Yai

Governmental 999 bus from Sai Tai Mai to Hat Yai run 4 times a day. VIP buses depart at 17:00 and 18:30 (costs 1000 THB). There are also 2 first-class buses departing at 16:30 and 19:30 (costs 643 THB).

Check ticket counters No. 50, 55, 58, 60 for more options and departure times. There are more buses departing from Bangkok to Hat Yai in the morning from 06:30 to 08:00 and in the evening from 16:30 to 20:00. The price varies from 640 to 1000 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Hat Yai takes about 13-14 hours. 

Nakhon Si Thammarat

Governmental 999 bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Nakhon Si Thammarat run 3 times a day. VIP bus departs at 18:30 and costs 851 THB. There are also 2 first-class buses departing at 16:00 and 19:45 (costs 547 THB).

Check ticket counters No. 28, 49, 72 for more options and departure times. There are more buses departing from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the afternoon from 17:20 to 20:00. The price varies from 540 to 930 THB, depending on the company and the type of the bus.

The trip all the way to Nakhon Si Thammarat takes about 12-13 hours.

Pattaya

Buses from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station to Pattaya are provided by Roong Reuang Coach (ticket counter No. 81). Buses of this company depart to Pattaya at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. The journey takes about 3 hours depending on traffic conditions. The current fare is 108 THB per person. The bus brings passengers to its own bus terminal on North Pattaya road.

There are also minivans to Pattaya departing every hour from 05:00 to 18:00. A ticket costs 145 THB.

Rayong

There are also minivans departing from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Rayong every hour from 06:00 to 18:00. The price of the journey is 200 THB and it can take 4 hours. From Rayong you can easily go to Ban Phe and catch a ferry going to Koh Samet.

Sri Racha (Koh Si Chang)

There are minivans departing every hour to Sri Racha from 06:00 to 20:00. The journey costs 130 THB and takes about 3 hours. From Sri Racha, take a tuk tuk (50-60 baht) or motorcycle taxi (20-30 baht) to Koh Loi Pier to catch the ferry to Koh Si Chang. 

How to get there

BTS SkyTrain & Taxi

You can take BTS SkyTrain to Bang Wa Station and then take a taxi for about 10 km (should cost about 80-100 THB).

Public Bus

There are plenty of public bus routes passing by Sai Tai Mai Bus Station. You can use regular buses No. 28, 66, 123, 124, 125, 127, 146, 149 or air-con buses No. 35, 40, 79, 170, 174, 177, 183, 507, 511, 515, 516, 539.

• From Sanam Luang, Khaosan Road, Democracy Monument, take a bus No. 19, 79, 124, 174, 183, 507 or 511
• From Victory Monument, take a bus No. 28 or 515
• From Siam Square and MBK, take a bus No. 40, 79, 177 or 511
• From Hua Lamphong Railway Station, take a bus No. 25, 40 or 501

Taxi

Taxi can be the fastest to get to Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal but it’s the most expensive way as well. A trip from central Bangkok to Sai Tai Mai should cost about 200-400 THB, depending on traffic condition and the starting spot.

Other Bangkok Bus Terminals

There are 3 bus terminals in Bangkok and you need to choose one depending on your desired destination. Other two Bangkok’s Bus Terminals are:

Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit)

From Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit) buses and minivans depart to the destinations in Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai), Northeast Thailand and few other central and eastern destinations such as Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Chonburi (including Pattaya), Trat (including Koh Chang), etc.

Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai)

From Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai) buses and minivans depart to the destinations in Eastern Thailand (Pattaya, Koh Chang, Koh Samet) and few southern destinations such as Hua Hin and Samut Songkhram (Maeklong).

Tips

Visiting nearby Sai Tai Mai Center Night Market is a must-do for anyone taking a night bus from Sai Tai Mai Bus Station as you won’t find a better place to fill up your stomach before a long trip down south.