Phuket lays on Suvarnabhumi bus service for stranded sandbox tourists

[Thaiger]

The governor of Phuket has announced that a special bus service will transport stranded sandbox tourists from the southern island to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. As a result of the cancellation of domestic flights, sandbox visitors who had plans to visit elsewhere in Thailand after their 14 days on Phuket now find themselves stuck. Governor Narong Wunsiew says a dedicated bus service is being laid on for them, starting today and running until August 16. According to a Bangkok Post report, the bus service is only for sandbox visitors who want to fly from Suvarnabhumi. Tourists with international flights home from […]

The post Phuket lays on Suvarnabhumi bus service for stranded sandbox tourists appeared first on Thaiger News.

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[DollhinSpirit]

So instead of a comfortable 1 hour flight to BKK they will now pay 1500 for an uncomfortable 14 hour bus ride. That is sure to inspire them to say good things about their Phuket vacation experience upon arrival home. 
Amazing 

[EdwardV]

I guess if they make it as undesirable as possible, you will have little choice but to decide to remain. 

[Lowseasonlover]

It would be interesting to hear from actual sandbox tourist not the ones with ties here, see what they think now

[shanghailoz]

Link to the bus booking below:

สำหรับการจองรถ ออกจากภูเก็ต
LINK กรอกแบบฟอร์ม >> https://forms.gle/GqLxw2BTUMJ9GM2Q7

 

 

[palooka]

On top authority it's only for the next 2-3 weeks or 4 at most.

Where have I heard that before?

[BookShe]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

sandbox visitors who had plans to visit elsewhere in Thailand after their 14 days on Phuket now find themselves stuck

Well... Welcome to the club guys. Guess what. We are all stuck. Let's make a gofundme campain for them, so they can travel in Thailand. You came to this country when daily cases are in record numbers almost every day. What did you expect??

[AlexPTY]

Perfect end of the great vacation with 12+ hour ride on the bus to BKK, oh wait, did they actually fly from BKK?

Cannot wait to read all that blogging about great Phuket sandbox as soon as they got outa here, cause we all know what happens if they publish something before that.

as we used to say: SNAFU

[BookShe]

 

Fearlessly  Posted on BKK Post

I thought that interstate bus services were banned.Why should sandbox tourists be allowed to travel to Bangkok by bus to be back with their families when local Vaccinated Thais not be allowed to also leave to Bangkok by bus This is very discriminatory and wrong.Privileges for a select given few at the expense of the masses.Sandbox tourists knew the risks of going to Phuket and must bear the consequences.If you allow special buses for them,you must also allow the same for all Thais,if not this will really spark outrage .Hiow can the Phuket authorities and the government break all the rules for a very small select group of people,pathetic

 

[DFR]

What about the tourists who did the sandbox, travelled on to other areas of Thailand and now need to get back to Phuket for their return flights?

[Rob2010]

42 minutes ago, BookShe said:

Fearlessly  Posted on BKK Post

I thought that interstate bus services were banned.Why should sandbox tourists be allowed to travel to Bangkok by bus to be back with their families when local Vaccinated Thais not be allowed to also leave to Bangkok by bus This is very discriminatory and wrong.Privileges for a select given few at the expense of the masses.Sandbox tourists knew the risks of going to Phuket and must bear the consequences.If you allow special buses for them,you must also allow the same for all Thais,if not this will really spark outrage .Hiow can the Phuket authorities and the government break all the rules for a very small select group of people,pathetic

"Hiow can the Phuket authorities and the government break all the rules for a very small select group of people,pathetic"

Forgive my ignorance BookShe, but I thought that this was very much the modus operandi for this Thai government?

[Martin]

Phuket authorities could have salvaged something from this mess. The very least they could have done was absorb the 1,500 baht cost as a goodwill gesture. After all, we're not talking huge numbers are we?

But no, everything, literally everything, is done with the aim of squeezing money from the foreigners. What foreign tourist in their right senses would think of coming to this place? 

[riclag]

2 hours ago, DollhinSpirit said:

So instead of a comfortable 1 hour flight to BKK they will now pay 1500 for an uncomfortable 14 hour bus ride. That is sure to inspire them to say good things about their Phuket vacation experience upon arrival home. 
Amazing 

You stole my thunder!

If they were covid positive ,they could of hopped on Army helicopters and given a ride free! This is what is going on now .The covid are being flown to their provinces!

Why not use air transportation !

Edited August 4, 2021 by riclag

[BookShe]

5 minutes ago, Rob2010 said:

"Hiow can the Phuket authorities and the government break all the rules for a very small select group of people,pathetic"

Forgive my ignorance BookShe, but I thought that this was very much the modus operandi for this Thai government?

Saving "face" There are hundreds of "what if" situations that were certainly overlooked. I might say this is pretty common in Thailand. "shoot first ask questions later" Phuket is not an island hundreds of miles into the ocean. Hoping that you can seal off was premature. Inviting people to this sandbox knowing that the country is de-facto in lockdown with daily record cases wasn't the brightest idea either, because now they have to figure out how to twist and spin the situation on the fly.

As I posted yesterday:

Only competent and intelligent people can do researches. If you know anyone in this Govt. with such abilities please let me know, so I can follow them on myspace.

[riclag]

1 hour ago, AlexPTY said:

Perfect end of the great vacation with 12+ hour ride on the bus to BKK, oh wait, did they actually fly from BKK?

Cannot wait to read all that blogging about great Phuket sandbox as soon as they got outa here, cause we all know what happens if they publish something before that.

as we used to say: SNAFU

The only way I would of used the sandbox,was when they were letting people leave and travel to the mainland after a short 7 day stay on Phuket ! It was a good way to go back home to Issan .

Other than that it would of been a waste of time and money ,cause your planning a-holiday and potentially  leaving your self open for a forced quarantine if you were in a risk group!

Edited August 4, 2021 by riclag

[Martin]

One assumes, for such a lengthy bus journey, that at least one stop will be made along the way. For passengers to stretch their legs, or perhaps get something to eat.

That should be interesting, one can imagine the reaction from locals to have a busload of foreigners suddenly roll up. 

And heaven forbid the bus should break down. What then? Have authorities planned for this possible outcome? I propose a committee of 5 star Generals  should be set up immediately to work out a plan.

[Mopi]

4 hours ago, Thaiger said:

the Land Transport Office in Phuket insists that the drivers operating the bus service from the island to Suvarnabhumi will still be subject to strict entry requirements on their return to Phuket, especially as they will be arriving from a dark red province.

I feel a little sorry for the drivers, the rules are bound to change while they are enroute and leave them stranded on the other side of the bridge.

Also the bus should leave Phuket in the evening to arrive in bkk before noon.

[Martin]

10 minutes ago, Mopi said:

I feel a little sorry for the drivers, the rules are bound to change while they are enroute and leave them stranded on the other side of the bridge.

Also the bus should leave Phuket in the evening to arrive in bkk before noon.

I read elsewhere that the bus will leave Phuket at 5am, arriving at Suvarnibhumi airport at 9pm. If that's true it's just another crazy decision. Chances are the passengers will have to kip on airport seats for the night, or face the problem of trying to book a nights stay in a nearby hotel. But how to do that?

Again it's just designed as a money grab. A passenger would need to have paid for the hotel night in Phuket and check out very early. Then likely pay for another night's stay in Bangkok. Could have avoided that if the bus left in the evening, arriving Bangkok in the morning. 

What a s**tbox. 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Martin

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, DFR said:

What about the tourists who did the sandbox, travelled on to other areas of Thailand and now need to get back to Phuket for their return flights?

There's an exception for them, and they're still allowed to return.

 

.... presumably on foot .....

[BookShe]

4 minutes ago, Stonker said:

There's an exception for them, and they're still allowed to return.

.... presumably on foot .....

 

"Phuket has the potential to lead the global tourism recovery, as the historic Phuket Sandbox initiative sets the standard for other destinations to follow"

 

They should make this quote from this Singaporean guy printed out, and hand it to each and every "tourist" in the sandbox. I'm sure they would appreciate how lucky they are from a different "Angle" If this model would be an example or so-called standard for future tourism then tourism would cease to exists.

 

[vlad]

Will the bus passengers be given a tuck box or will they have to pay En route for a bit of grub and water, any washing facilities or will you be arriving in Swampy smelling like a Soi Dog and still wearing the same gear you left Phuket in. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by vlad

[vvdb.fr]

Tourists know that conditions can change and must anticipate them.

I was in Thailand in March 2020 and returned to Europe well before the end of my trip because my airline had closed, first flight back ... at my expense!

Traveling abroad has its drawbacks, they should never be minimized, it is only the gogos who moan. People not interesting, but buzzing

[Poolie]

3 hours ago, Martin said:

Phuket authorities could have salvaged something from this mess. The very least they could have done was absorb the 1,500 baht cost as a goodwill gesture. After all, we're not talking huge numbers are we?

But no, everything, literally everything, is done with the aim of squeezing money from the foreigners. What foreign tourist in their right senses would think of coming to this place? 

People who dont think 1500baht is a big deal. At a guess.

[Poolie]

1 hour ago, Martin said:

I read elsewhere that the bus will leave Phuket at 5am, arriving at Suvarnibhumi airport at 9pm. If that's true it's just another crazy decision. Chances are the passengers will have to kip on airport seats for the night, or face the problem of trying to book a nights stay in a nearby hotel. But how to do that?

Again it's just designed as a money grab. A passenger would need to have paid for the hotel night in Phuket and check out very early. Then likely pay for another night's stay in Bangkok. Could have avoided that if the bus left in the evening, arriving Bangkok in the morning. 

What a s**tbox. 

Do you have to travel on it? I mean, you, personally?

[Soidog]

6 hours ago, DollhinSpirit said:

So instead of a comfortable 1 hour flight to BKK they will now pay 1500 for an uncomfortable 14 hour bus ride. That is sure to inspire them to say good things about their Phuket vacation experience upon arrival home. 
Amazing 

Yes, and not to mention spending 12-14 hours on a bus is far more likely to spread the virus than a 1.2 hour flight on a plane likely with HEPA filtration of the air. One infected person on the bus will result in 20-30 getting off in bkk with it. Another perplexing thought process by officials. 
 

I read today that NOK Air are urging the government to allow them to operate flights to U-Tapao from Phuket and part of the justification is length of time and air quality. Hopefully common sense will prevail

Edited August 4, 2021 by Soidog