What is the public transport like?

Bangkok now has a good and efficient public transport system with the BTS (skytrain) and the MRT (underground) linking main areas in the city. A high speed rail link is currently under construction that will link Suvarnabhumi Airport to the BTS Sukhumvit line and the MRT blue line at Phaya Thai. The current completion date is end of 2009. Taxis are plentiful and cheap (make sure they put the meter on!) and there are lots of buses too though expatriates tend not to use the local buses. For getting out of Bangkok, the main railway line runs North to South through the country and down on through Malaysia to Singapore.

Do I need a car?

Some companies provide a car and a driver although this is becoming less common as expatriate packages change. A car may not be the best alternative when traffic is bad but many use the time to catch up on work, phone calls or reading while sitting in the inevitable traffic jam!

Even if your company is not providing a car and driver, many families choose to lease or buy a car in spite of its setbacks during traffic, particularly if they are living away from the main BTS and MRT stations. A car can also be a great asset for weekend trips to the beach, national parks or other escapes from the city.

If you have a driver, they can be extremely useful for carrying out daily chores such as posting letters, paying bills and running simple errands. With the traffic the way it is in Bangkok it is not always easy to do more than one or two 'jobs' in one day so having access to a driver is an easy way to make your day run more smoothly.