Roong Reuang Coach

Roong Reuang Coach are a well established company who specialise in providing cheap and safe coach travel between Pattaya and Bangkok. These are two of the most popular tourist destinations in mainland Thailand, and as such it is a popular service used by many travellers. Many companies offer various options when it comes to bus travel along this route, but Roong Reuang are well known for their spacious and comfortable coaches, which are kept in good condition compared with many other buses.

The only route this particular bus company provides is the one between Pattaya and Bangkok, and there are numerous daily departures in both directions – approximately every 40 minutes to/from Ekkamai, every hour to/from Morchit and 6 departures a day to Sai Tai Mai.

The Roong Reuang Coachbuses depart from Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit), Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) and Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai), so you can choose when booking which one you would like to travel from or arrive into. In Pattaya, buses depart and arrive into Pattaya Northern Bus Station in Pattaya Nuea. The cost of a one-way journey is around THB130 per person with the cheapest tickets to Ekkamai and more expensive – to Morchit and Sai Tai Mai.

The journey is around 150km, so it’s fairly straightforward although be prepared for unpredictable traffic conditions, particularly at busy hours or on holidays. Generally though, the journey will take about 2 hours (to Ekkamai) up to 3 hours (to Morchit), so it’s a fairly quick coach journey that is mainly on highways and well developed roads. Bear in mind that road safety standards in Thailand aren’t always the best so do be sure to wear your seat belt.

Note When travelling back from Ekkamai to Pattaya, Roong Reuang Coach almost always calls to Chonburi, Sri Racha or Laem Chabang en route if there are any passengers on board who need to get off in these locations. If you are unlucky to catch the bus where there are travellers heading to these locations, the trip may take up to 4 hours.

Generally, Roong Reuang coaches are considered to be one of the best budget friendly options when travelling from Bangkok to Pattaya or vice versa. They generally operate on time, and sometimes even depart early, whilst they take care to maintain their coaches to decent standards. Being able to choose between three different bus stations in Bangkok is also very useful when you may be staying far closer to one rather than the other.

The company is known for its reliability and for providing low prices compared to many other tour operators who tend to charge higher prices as they know that tourists aren’t always aware of what sort of prices are typical for this journey. You can also book online making it easy to organise your travel plans in advance.

Some things that can cause issues are the air conditioning. Some may find that this is too cold for their liking and would be advised to pack some extra layers just in case. Other times it is possible to find the air conditioning is running at higher temperatures than are strictly comfortable for those not used to the hot Thai weather. It’s worth being prepared for being too warm or cold just in case of any issues!

As with any coach travel it’s best not to rely on having the highest standard of on board bathrooms - it’s often best to try and avoid using on board toilets if possible as they may not be maintained as well as the rest of the Roong Reuang Coaches.

Buses do run on schedule but if the bus is full, it can leave some 10-15 minutes prior to its schedule.

During holiday periods, especially New Year and Songkran, you can end up waiting for hours to get a ticket if you have not booked your seat at least 3 days in advance.

Customers are generally satisfied with the service they receive - most people are happy to have chosen a cheap, simple and safe transfer between the two cities and say that they would use the service again.

Roong Reaung Coach are preferred by many passengers because they have friendly helpful staff who will happily assist with heavy luggage and will even be flexible when it comes to changing and adjusting reservations. The staff is used to having foreigners on board so chances that they will have an English-speaking coach attendant are much higher compared to other bus companies.

Other customers praise the generous legroom, comfortable seats and the efficiency of the service.

Some reviews criticise the bathrooms, quality of the air conditioning units and the fact that sometimes coaches will run ahead of schedule, but generally Roong Reuang get positive reviews from their customers and are one of the most popular companies covering this route by bus.