"Taking the bus home is exhausting"—a chronic problem that Bangkok residents continue to face, plagued by traffic jams, long rides, and service gaps, with hopes that the new governor will finally resolve it.
One of the challenges for those living in Bangkok is the long time spent traveling by bus, which has led to the saying, "Taking the bus home is exhausting."
Last year, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) created a platform to gather feedback from Bangkok residents about daily issues they face, aiming to amend laws to give the BMA greater authority to address these problems more effectively. This involves revising the 1985 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act to empower the BMA to better manage the city.
One of the issues that received a large amount of feedback from Bangkok residents was "the bus system." The SEE TRUE news team from Thairath TV decided to take bus route 62, from Victory Monument to Sathu Pradit, a distance of about 13 kilometers, to see how many hours the trip would take.
Choosing the evening rush hour around 4:40 p.m., they boarded the bus at Victory Monument and traveled along Phayathai Road. Due to heavy traffic, it took 20 minutes to reach Ratchathewi intersection, despite the distance being only 1.4 kilometers. Traffic worsened after turning onto Phetchaburi Road because part of the road was closed for construction of the Orange Line metro.
While on Phetchaburi Road, the team spoke with a female student who regularly takes this bus. She said that since construction began, traffic has become much worse, especially in the mornings, forcing her to wake up earlier.
"They might be building it for future convenience, but right now it's causing serious morning traffic jams. So I have to manage my time better. Coming at 6 a.m. is not as congested, but it's still quite busy," she explained, describing the unavoidable yet necessary change to her travel schedule.
After passing Pratunam intersection, timing showed that it took 30 minutes to travel from Victory Monument to Pratunam, a distance of only 2 kilometers.
Although the worst congestion was behind, the bus route passes through roads notorious for heavy traffic, such as Sukhumvit, Witthayu, and South Sathorn Roads. This causes irregular bus intervals, meaning passengers often wait hours at bus stops before a bus finally arrives.
"Sometimes in the morning the wait isn't long, but in the evening it can be quite lengthy. It sometimes feels like there are fewer buses in the evening. We understand the drivers; traffic is heavy, so buses come late. We just have to accept it," said a woman.
A woman working as an office cleaner described the daily frustration of irregular bus service, which makes everyday life exhausting. After a tiring day at work, she still has to wait long hours for a bus, only to face traffic congestion once on board.
"Sometimes it's tiring because it takes so long to get home. We're already exhausted from work, then we have to wait for the bus and endure the ride home, which takes a lot of time," she said.
Another problem is the lack of choice between air-conditioned buses and non-air-conditioned regular buses. For route 62, both types are available, but waiting for an air-conditioned bus may take a long time.
"There are both air-conditioned and red buses, depending on which one comes. If it comes, we get on; if not, we keep waiting. The wait can be long, but we can't choose. If we keep waiting for an air-conditioned bus, we won't get home," explained a regular Bangkok bus user.
Bus route 62 ends at Sathu Pradit Pier. Timing showed the trip took as long as 1 hour and 45 minutes for just 13 kilometers, averaging 8 minutes per kilometer.
This is one of the issues raised by Bangkok residents, urging increased authority for the BMA to oversee public transport systems and manage bus routes better, so that people using buses no longer have to resign themselves to the exhausting reality of "taking the bus home is exhausting."
Follow the SEE TRUE mission to reveal the truth in the special feature "A Better Bangkok," airing continuously from 9-22 June 2026 on the Thairath News Show at 9 p.m. on YouTube (Thairath News) and Facebook (Thairath).