Coming in from the morning arrival of my Express 67 train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong to Ubon Ratchathani, I headed off for a short self-declared sit-in tour of the city by public transport. Unfortunately, there are no buses or trains running around this small town, but a network of efficient Songthaews (two rows of seats on a truck) run around, acting as the local public transport system, and serving the Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station.
The Songthaews that serve Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station are on Route 2 which runs through the city from Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal, making it a very useful and frequent service.
Rather than departing only when full, the Songthaews seem to depart regularly every 10 to 15 minutes.
I hopped onto a departing Songthaew for the full route to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal to hopefully learn more about the Ubon Ratchathani & Pakse VIP Bus Service 999 for future reference.
The Ubon Ratchathani Songthaew flat fare of 10 Baht (~S$0.43) is paid directly to the driver upon alighting, regardless of distance travelled on a single journey.
Departing from Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station.
The Songthaew Route 2 goes around the township around the railway station first to pick up more passengers.
An old path of the Mun River, now a cutoff lake.
Heading along Highway 24 into Ubon Ratchathani city.
Crossing over the Mun River.
Passing by Talad Yai or Big Market.
Passing by the Ubon Ratchathani Post Office.
Passing by a rather modern clock tower.
Passing by Tesco Lotus Ubonratchathani.
Turning at the junction for Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal.
Passing by Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal on the opposite side.
Approaching the nearest u-turn for access to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal.
U-turning to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal.
Arriving at Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal.
The Songthaew turns to the front porch of Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal to drop off.
Alighting from the Songthaew at Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal.
The flat fare of 10 Baht (~S$0.43) is paid directly to the driver upon alighting, regardless of distance travelled on a single journey. The journey from Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal took about 45 minutes.
Overall, a cheap, efficient and convenient service with a strong touch of local experience on board the Ubon Ratchathani Songthaew Route 2.
One comment