Minivans in Thailand

Practical information on traveling by minivan in Thailand

Minivans are an alternative to buses in Thailand. Depending on your destination, you sometimes have no choice, but if you are hesitating between a minivan and a bus, be aware that minivan drivers often drive fast and not always very carefully, and statistically buses have fewer accidents. Legroom is often limited, especially in the back seats, and some drivers ask you to pay for an extra seat if your bag or suitcase is big. The authorities have introduced useful measures against dangerous driving, such as scanning the driver's ID card to start the engine and GPS tracking to detect speeding.

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Taking a minivan in Bangkok

There are no longer any minivans at Victory Monument in Bangkok. They have moved to the bus terminals: those serving northern and northeastern Thailand leave from Mo Chit (Minibus Station Chatuchak, opposite Mo Chit Bus Terminal), those going south, to Amphawa, Damnoen Saduak or Kanchanaburi leave from Sai Tai Mai (Southern Bus Terminal), and those for eastern Thailand leave from Ekkamai Bus Terminal. You will also find some vans to the South or Kanchanaburi at Mo Chit.

Combined flight + minivan tickets

Low-cost airlines Air Asia and Nok Air offer combined flight + minivan (and sometimes ferry) tickets to the most popular islands and to some destinations without an airport. They are a good option to get to Koh Samui and the neighboring islands, as direct flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi or Phuket are very expensive due to Bangkok Airways' monopoly.

They also go to places such as Surin, Phang Nga, Khao Sok and Ao Nang (Krabi), and you are looked after from start to finish, which makes connections easier.