Buses from Trat/Chanthaburi to Bangkok

Is it normal for the buses between Trat and Bangkok to come off the motorway a few Klms before the airport to refuel or was I just unlucky.

We ended up taking 6 hours from Chanthaburi as we crawled first to get to the "depot" and then afterwards not rejoining the motorway until well past the airport. All in all this little detour added about 2 hours to the journey

Cherdchai from Ekkamai I assume?

Depends. Very late in the eve or very early in the morning on the way out they usually don't to my experience.
Have had a van refueling on the way out howevet, gas, took 40min even right next to the highway as had to wait our turn.

On the way back from Trat, afternoon and eve departures they always do. Yup, six-seven hours sounds ok from Trat on the way back.
Suppose you loose more time on the way out as you have ti do U-turns twice.

My question was about the return from Trat but would be an even bigger night mare to Trat.

This was the 08.30 bus out of Trat and yes going to Ekkamai.

Yes used to the vans having a stop to refuel but mostly 20 minutes or so depending on the queue. A real pain when they do some 5-10 Klms from the destination as the Chanthaburi, Kabin Buri saraburi ones do

Do the ones to Morchit do something similar or are they more direct apart from the ones calling at the airport.

Guess I answered that question, too.
Bus times always 5.45-7hrs for Trat-Ekkamai, always with said stop.
With an average time of over 6hrs for Trat-Bkk you usually loose about an hour for that stop (and the two stops for folks getting off along the way there).

Dunno about Morchit bound buses, very few per day only, always take the next available, haven't been on Morchit bound one in donkeys years.

One can only wonder at the stupidity of having the depot there for refuelling- half a brain would say do it at the terminal.

Hard to believe the Thais put up with it.

I caught the bus at Chanthaburi and it was just under 6 hours.

Well, Ekkamai is sort of getting a bit too small (or rather has been too small since a long time.... ).
There are plans to move it further out.

Yep, just under 6hrs is well possible considering my longest ride from Trat was a good 7hrs.
5.40-6.20 is about the norm for Trat-Bangkok during day time.
Less 1.15hrs for Chantaburi.
Occasionally you get the real slow ride...
Cherchai Promotion, more time on the bus for the same money!
:-)

Cherchai Promotion, more time on the bus for the same money!

Don't give them ideas!

I haven’t taken the bus from the eastern seaboard for years but from memory they have always left the motorway and stopped on the outskirts of bang na at a depot (before they go to Bangkok/ekkamai) to refuel-and they rarely went back on the highway unless the traffic was awful. The last time I did the bus from Rayong (which was several years ago) they announced a 45 mum stop to refuel so I got in a taxi to On Nut, jumped on the BTS and was ‘home’ within an hour.

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