Chiang Mai Bus Service

The Chiang Mai buses were put into service several years ago. There have been rumors of plans for a subway in Chiang Mai, but it is unlikely such a huge project will be started in the near future. But the hope is that the Chiang Mai bus system will help reduce pollution and traffic congestion in Chiang Mai. The most common form of public transportation in Chiang Mai are still the Chiang Mai songthaews.

Starting back in 1999, Chiang Mai has been experiencing tremendous growth with an influx of foreign workers as well as from Bangkok residents who purchase weekend homes as a retreat from the Bangkok urban sprawl.

With the increase of residents comes an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. It is still too early to know for sure whether or not the Chiang Mai bus project has helped to reduce the number of vehicles in Chiang Mai. But traffic slowdowns is very common theses days, although not nearly as bad as Bangkok.

The cost for the Chiang Mai bus is very reasonable at 15 baht per adult. Children under 12 years can ride for free. However, the cheap price may not be worth the time needed to use the service. The number of busses in service is limited. So if you miss your bus, you may have to wait 15-20 minutes for the next one.

The Chiang Mai Bus website is only in Thai language, but if you want to see the route maps then click the following text links. For Chiang Mai Bus route #2, Chiang Mai Bus route #6, Chiang Mai Bus route #11, or Chiang Mai Bus route #13.

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