Bangkok Bus Terminal (Ekkamai) , commonly known as Ekkamai Bus Terminal, is one of the three main long-distance

bus station A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...

s serving

Greater Bangkok The Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) (; ; ), may refer to a government-defined "political definition" of the urban region surrounding the metropolis of Bangkok, or the built-up area, i.e., urban agglomeration of Bangkok, Thailand, which varies in ...

. Managed by The Transport Company, it is the main spot for those who are traveling by bus along the coast to and from

Eastern Thailand Eastern Thailand is a region of Thailand, bordering Cambodia in the east, Northeastern Thailand in the north, and Central Thailand in the west. Geography Eastern Thailand lies between the Sankamphaeng Range, which forms a natural border with ...

. The station is located on the intersection between Sukhumvit and

Ekkamai road 250px, Ekkamai Rd Ekkamai Road (, , ; often popularly referred to as Ekkamai; also spelled: Ekamai), officially named Soi Sukhumvit 63 (), is a ''soi'' in the form of road, and the name of the surrounding of its location in Bangkok. Ekkamai is a ...

s. The station was opened on 1 January 1960. Unlike the other two main long-distance bus terminals serving Greater Bangkok (

Mo Chit 2 bus terminal The Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak), colloquially known as Mo Chit 2 () or New Mo Chit, is one of the three main long-distance bus stations serving Greater Bangkok. It is operated by the state enterprise The Transport Co., Ltd., and serves as t ...

and New Southern Bus Terminal), Ekkamai Bus Terminal has never been relocated. The station is located close to the Ekkamai BTS station of the Sukhumvit Line. In 2025, The Ministry of Transport is considering moving all three main long-distance bus terminals to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.

History

Prior to 1959, there was barely any regulations on long-distance buses. Any operators with enough capital may provide bus services either under the name of an individual or a company, and there was no concession from the government to control the operation of the buses. At that time, bus stations in the eastern region along the coast had a parking area at 22 July Circle. Passengers had to sit on the bus or rest in a nearby coffee shop prior to bus departure. In 1959, the government announced regulations for the long-distance bus routes connecting Bangkok to other regions by announcing long-distance routes in 30 provinces, divided into 5 lines: Southern Line, Northern Line, Northeastern Line, Eastern Line, and Eastern coastal Line. As well as regulating more stop to cover more land. However, it was not comprehensive. Thus, in the following year, 1960, only the Eastern Line and Eastern coastal Line along the coast went all the way to Prachin Buri and Trat Provinces. In the same year, three stations for long-distance passenger transport were opened on January 1, 1960, of which Ekkamai Bus Terminal was one of the three bus stations for the Eastern coastal bus route, located in what was Phra Khanong Subdistrict, Phra Khanong District at that time.

Future plans

In 2022, The Transport Company announced a plan to relocate the station to the somewhere in Bang Na such as Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre.

References

External links

{{Public transport in Bangkok Khlong Toei district Bus stations in Thailand Bus transport in Bangkok