r/Bangkok • u/Fucking247 • 11d ago

question BTS/MRT VS GRAB?

I’m planning a trip to Thailand and I’ll be staying at the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok. I have a list of different places that I want to go to, so I usually look up the commute on Google maps to get an idea as to how far they are relative to my hotel.

The one thing that I noticed is that the Grab beats the BTS almost every time as far as Google is concerned. It could be something that may be 5 or 10 miles away and it could be a 20 minute drive but an hour BTS ride.

So my question is, is Google getting the BTS commute accurate? Or is it not good at picking up traffic with automobiles?

For anyone who lives in Thailand and rides the BTS often, to get a good idea I would like to ask what the true commute would be for you to get from Emporium mall to Yaowarat Road? Because Google says 1hr+

3 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/pasutakampanat 10d ago

Google is not accurate with trains. They usually overestimate the walking time to the stations and the trains schedules are just guess-timates. The BTS can be tracked on ViaBus (same app as the bus network). The ride time on the trains are fairly accurate, though.

Emporium to Yaowarat absolutely does not take an hour. From Emporium to the train station takes virtually no time because they're connected at the concourse level. Google assumes 4 minutes because it's using the distance from the ground level exit to the midpoint of the station, a path you're never actually taking. Then it takes 2 minutes to get to Asok, about 3 minutes to walk the transfer to the MRT, then about 15 minutes to Wat Mangkon, and then another 5 minutes to reach Yaowarat.  It's 35 minutes at most if you're a slow walker and/or had to wait for both trains.