Buses in Udon Thani
Udon Thani has two main bus stations with No1 bus terminal providing most of the services to the remainder of Thailand. Bus services to the east, and south all depart from Udon Thani No1 bus station, whilst bus services to Nong Khai to the north, and Chiang Mai operate from udon Thani No2 Northern bus station. There is also a mini bus service to Nong Khai from terminal 1 in the city centre but it is not suitable if you are accompanied by several pieces of luggage.
Bus is the main long distance method of travel in Thailand, and the bus network is very good, although the reliability of the buses is often in question. The biggest issue I have with all of the buses are that they operate so slowly, perhaps with a top speed of 60 kph. The mini Vans which operate alongside the larger buses also operate around the same speeds. This makes a 102 km journey to Khon Kaen close to 2 hours by bus, which to my mind is utterly ridiculous considering the entire stretch of road is dual carriageway. Buy Bus Tickets OnlineIt is now possible to book your bus tickets online in advance, which is recommended as these buses generally get full on most scheduled journeys.
The online booking facility, at the time of writing, does not include local services to Nong Khai or Khon Kaen. Just about all journeys to other locations are readily available, so should you choose to visit Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket etc. Tickets can normally be purchased online up to two months in advance, where tickets and routes have them available. |
Udon Thani No1 Bus Station, Central Udon Thani
Udon Thani No2 Bus Station, Western Udon Thani
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Buses from Bangkok to Udon Thani
Departure Point
Bangkok (Mo Chit Bus Terminal) Bangkok (Mo Chit Bus Terminal) Bangkok (Mo Chit Bus Terminal) Bangkok (Mo Chit Bus Terminal) Bangkok (Mo Chit Bus Terminal) |
Service
407 Pattana Bus Sarakham Tour Bus Sarakham Tour Bus Sarakham Tour Esan Tour |
Depart
10:30 19:00 20:30 21:30 21:30 |
Arrive
18:10 02:40 04:10 05:10 05:10 |
Bus Type
Express Express VIP Express Express |
Cost
481 Baht 481 Baht 581 Baht 481 Baht 481 Baht |
Buses from Bangkok arrive in Udon Thani No2 bus station and proceed north to Nong Khai
Buses from Udon Thani to Bangkok
Depart
04:25
04:50
05:40
06:00
06:40
09:20
10:00
12:30
14:00
16:40
16:40
17:30
18:50
04:25
04:50
05:40
06:00
06:40
09:20
10:00
12:30
14:00
16:40
16:40
17:30
18:50
Buses from Udon Thani to Chaing Mai
Departure Point
Udon Thani No2 Northern Terminal |
Service
Sueksa Tour |
Depart
20:30 |
Arrive
06:40 |
Bus Type
VIP |
Cost
919 Baht |
Bus Travel - VIP Buses
Buses come a wide variety of shapes and forms from the VIP long distance bus (left) used for trips from Udon Thani to Bangkok and even further south. The bus from Udon to Bangkok takes about the same time as the train - 12 hours. They are comfortable and not expensive but I have found they can be a little unreliable in terms of keeping going! Breakdowns are not uncommon and I have the belief there is no routine maintenance carried out on bus fleets (or any other mode of road vehicle). I took a bus from Udon Thani to Rayong on one occasion and the journey was extended by 4 hours due to repeated problems. I am not sure what the exact problem was but it meant that any incline we had to go up was restricted to a top speed in the region of maybe 10km hour!
Government Buses
These government buses are also good and are typically used for town to town journeys such as Udon Thani to Nong Khai, stopping at a number of places along the way to cater for villages. This is an incredibly cheap method of transport but not the most comfortable in the world. All the same, they are perfectly good, seem reasonably reliable and run frequently. There is another type of buses that I have not covered, it is one that is little more than a converted 10 tonne truck with a roof on it. I have never had the need or desire to travel on one of these yet so cannot really comment other than to say they do not look especially welcoming.
Local Buses
Another very common style of bus in and around Udon Thani. I used one of these buses when I was in Bangkok some years ago and can honestly say it was not that much fun. They always seem to be packed with people, as they are so cheap to use, making a hot and sticky day just a bit hotter and stickier.
I dread to think just how old these buses actually are but they sure as hell look pretty old. All the same, they keep them running as it's much cheaper than buying a new and new looking fleet isn't it. You see signs of little investment just about everywhere here. Houses, buses, shops, roads etc. it really does stand out and is an alien concept to us ferang.
I dread to think just how old these buses actually are but they sure as hell look pretty old. All the same, they keep them running as it's much cheaper than buying a new and new looking fleet isn't it. You see signs of little investment just about everywhere here. Houses, buses, shops, roads etc. it really does stand out and is an alien concept to us ferang.
Songthaew Buses
Songthaews are great hop on, hop of buses and you will see these all over Thailand in large build up areas and some travel to outlaying villages. You will see many times people standing on the rear footplate, holding on to the bars as they fill up with people when the schools empty.
As well as convenient, they are also cheap. These are my preferred method of travel in the city which is okay as long as the bus goes where you want it to go. Udon Thani has a series of bus routes that cover most of the urban area and some outlaying villages as far as 10km away. We live about 4km from the city centre and it cost just 10 baht one way.
As well as convenient, they are also cheap. These are my preferred method of travel in the city which is okay as long as the bus goes where you want it to go. Udon Thani has a series of bus routes that cover most of the urban area and some outlaying villages as far as 10km away. We live about 4km from the city centre and it cost just 10 baht one way.