Public transport comes in all shapes and sizes around Thailand, from classic coaches and trains to the famous tuk tuks and even the back of a bike. But in Koh Samui you really only have two options for public transport… taxis 🚕 or an open back bus called a ‘songthaew’, it’s definitely the cheaper option and we use them all the time to get around the island. So here is our mini guide of how to use songthaews in Koh Samui.

How do I use the buses in Koh Samui?

Unlike in European countries there are no bus stops here, you just need to head out to one of the main roads on the island and flag one down – often they’ll beep you so just give them a little wave and they’ll stop for you.. at night they are less frequent but recognisable by the strip of blue lights on the top of the truck.

This is our preferred way to get around the island and for short journeys it’s definitely the most cost-effective option.

What does a Koh Samui bus look like?

The buses here are named ‘songthaew’ which quite literally translates to ‘two rows’. Essentially it is just an open-backed truck with two long benches inside and a roof on the top. They are Samui’s answer to the tuk-tuk.

How do I use a Songthaew?

Songthaew’s will drive around the island along the main roads, when you look at a map of Samui you’ll notice a large ring road that goes all the way around the island, there are other busy ‘main’ roads in areas around Chaweng, Fisherman’s Village, Bangrak and Choeng Mon to name a few. All you need to do is head to one of these busy roads and wait patiently. Obviously, if you are staying in more remote locations, with fewer hotels or if you’re staying in a private villa in the hills, this option might not be for you, as you’ll be waiting a while…

Anyway… once you spot a songthaew just stick your hand out and they’ll pull over. They are easy to spot even at night thanks to those blue lights on the roof. Head to the cab and let the driver know where you want to go and negotiate a price. You MUST negotiate a cost BEFORE getting in as 99% of the time you will pay once you get off. Most of the Songthaew drivers are pretty reasonable and will offer you a good price but some, like the taxi drivers, will test you.

How much does it cost to use a Songthaew?

You’ll need to scrub up on those negotiation skills of yours. Although using a songthaew is cheaper than a taxi, you do still need to negotiate. Our rule of thumb is that if the journey is around ten minutes you should only be paying ฿50 – ฿60 per person. For journeys of 15 – 20 minutes, you can expect to pay ฿100 – ฿150 per person. If you’re unsure on how far you’re travelling and what the cost should be, check Google Maps before you leave to get a rough idea of how long the journey should take and work out how much you want to pay.

When discussing the price start at your lowest and negotiate, an example journey from Central Samui in Chaweng to Fisherman’s Village (15 minutes) for two people should cost you no more than ฿250. They will try and charge you ฿400 but you can actually get a private taxi using one of the apps for about ฿300, which will be cooler and faster.

✨️TOP TIP✨️ Drivers may not always know the beach club/restaurant/hotel you’re looking for, so make sure to download maps to make them available offline on Google Maps, (Koh Samui is relatively small so you can download the whole island without taking up lots of data space), this way you can show them where you want to go and track your journey as on those instances where the driver isn’t 100% certain of the location you’ll need to ring the bell (button is on the roof of the truck) just before you want to stop 🛑

Once you arrive at your destination just pay 💸 and enjoy your day 🌞

As an additional note, try and keep small notes on you for these journeys as very often they won’t have change for a ฿1000 note.

Which is the best taxi app to use in Koh Samui?

There are two different taxi apps you can download and use in Koh Samui, inDrive and Grab.

Although Grab is popular in many areas of Thailand and South East Asia, we do find that it’s a bit more expensive than inDrive (which is our preferred taxi app). inDrive works very similarly to Uber, except you pay the driver in cash once you’ve arrived at your destination.

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And that is it really adventurers, of course, walking is good for you and is free but be wary of the roads here, we have very few areas that have pavements and even when we do they are always uneven and full of holes. We would suggest leaving long walks for the beach, maybe with a pina colada in hand.

If you’d like more information on how to get around the island, you can check out our previous post ‘How to get around Koh Samui, Thailand’.

How to get around Koh Samui, Thailand

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Sending sunshine from Koh Samui,

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