He said if the service came to fruition it would operate between Pattaya and Cha Am and Hua Hin. The minister noted that the network could be extended to include Sri Racha and Pranburi. The latter is around 20kms south of Hua Hin and Sri Racha is just along the shoreline from Pattaya.
Although Pattaya and Hua Hin face each other across the Gulf of Thailand and are only around 100kms apart, getting between the two is a convoluted trip. By road it is more than 300kms and travelling by bus usually means taking a bus to Bangkok and then another to Hua Hin. Total journey times can be up to seven hours.
In comparison, boat crossings by catamaran only take around three hours. Several companies have previously launched ferry services across the Gulf of Thailand, but they seem to stop operating after a few months. Tourists complained that one-way adult fares of THB2,100 from Pattaya to Hua Hin were too expensive and five to six times the cost of making the journey by bus.
Thailand may launch new Pattaya Hua Hin ferry service
News in Asia
Thailand’s transport-minister says the government will be assessing the viability of relaunching ferry services across the Gulf of Thailand. Air-chief-marshal Prajin Juntong told reporters yesterday that the national marine department is preparing to study the possibility of establishing ferry routes across the north of the gulf.