The first edition is limited to bus services from Phuket International Airport to Phuket Town and Patong, Current international routes are buses on routes from Phuket to Suratthani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Hat Yai.
The app only has Thai language script at present but this too will be rectified next month when English and Chinese language capabilities are added. Bus Beam is part of a Phuket authorities master plan called Smart Bus, Smart Passengers. According to 12GO ASIA, local news source say the scope of the app will be broadened in the future.
It will also have the capability of tracking taxis and possibly songthaews and Phuket Town microbuses. Phuket’s assistant governor, Prakorb Wongmaneerung, said the Bus Beam app was compatible with Android and iOS and would simplify bus travel for residents and tourists.
Phuket introduces pilot tracker app for public buses
News in Asia
The weekend saw the introduction of a tracking app for buses on Phuket Island. Mobile smartphone and tablet users who download the Bus Beam app will eventually be able to check the progress and location of all the island’s buses as well as intercity ones.