That time a hostel worker told me to book buses at the station

Back in 2022 I was in Chiang Mai and some guy at the front desk said never book bus tickets online for Thailand. Said the local station price was like 60% less. I didn't believe him but tried it for a trip to Pai. Walked up to the counter and got a ticket for 150 baht vs the 400 I saw online. Has anyone else found better deals skipping the booking sites for local transport?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oliver7d ago

Honestly, I see people hype up that local trick all the time but it's not always that simple. Ngl, you got lucky with that Pai route since it's short and popular, but try that with a night bus to Bangkok or Surat Thani and you might end up waiting around for hours. Tbh, I've had times where the station was sold out and I had to scramble on my phone anyway. Plus, the online sites sometimes include a seat selection or air conditioning guarantee that you don't get at the counter. It's not like every bus company is trying to rip you off that hard.

smith.elliot7d ago

Yeah but you're missing the point a bit... nobody's saying the counter works every single time, it's just usually way cheaper and less of a headache. Those "extras" like seat selection and AC guarantees are often just stuff they charge you extra for that you'd get anyway if you just walked up and asked. And honestly, if a bus is sold out online, it's probably sold out at the counter too, so that's kind of a wash. I've done the night bus thing plenty of times and never had to wait around for hours, just show up a bit earlier and you're fine.

blair_chen817d ago

Totally agree @the_oliver, life's never one-size-fits-all no matter what the hype says.