Transportation

Hat Yai is on the southern line connecting Bangkok to Butterworth and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

• To/from Bangkok: Five trains daily to and from Bangkok. Express trains depart at 16:16, 17:34 and 18:05 while the slower Rapid trains depart at 14:18 and 15:26. Trains go via Surat Thani, Chumphon, Hua Hin etc.
  A 3rd class ticket with reserved, upholstered seat sets you back 259 baht (Hat Yai-Bangkok) on ordinary trains and slightly more for Rapid/Express trains. Buy tickets directly at the respective railway stations, surcharges are imposed if bought at other agencies!
• To/from Sungai Kolok, Thailand: Three trains to Sungai Kolok daily departing at 05:36, 07:18 and 11:30.
• To/from Malaysia: The State Railways of Thailand's International Express leaves Hat Yai for Butterworth near Penang daily at 05:50, going via Padang Besar. In the other direction, trains leave Butterworth at 13:15 and arrive in Hat Yai at 17:30. The train then continues to Bangkok. The Ekspres Peninsular operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railways) [8] departs Hat Yai for Johor Bahru daily at 16:00 (Thai time), arriving at Kuala Lumpur Sentral at 04:38 (Malaysia Time) the next day before resume journey southward and arriving Johor Bahru at 11:55 am . Trains from Johor Bahru depart at 17:00 (Malaysia Time), arriving at Kuala Lumpur Sentral at 00:15 before resume it journey to arrive in Hat Yai at 11:20 (Thai Time) the next day. The Ekspres Peninsular goes via all major Peninsular Malaysia west coast cities except Melaka and Georgetown. Note that Malaysian time is one hour ahead of Thai time: noon in Thailand is 13:00 in Malaysia. Be sure and check the departure time on your ticket as many tickets have Malaysian departure times even though Hat Yai is in Thailand.
• Surat Thani 3rd class tickets cost 55 baht, but the journey takes 7 hours! Good for stunning views of the countryside. See timetable at railway station. Sleeper cabins 1st class, 2nd class air-con & fan sleeperettes, and 3rd class (now upholstered seats!) are available.

Hat Yai has a large bus station located near the Diana Department store (N 06° 59.699 E 100° 28.962). Buses can be taken to all major towns in the south of Thailand and up to Bangkok. Depending on the route, different classes of bus are available. These range from local orange colored buses without air-conditioning to luxurious 24-seat coaches with toilets and reclining seats.
Buy tickets only from the ticket counters, do not allow yourself to be directed to agencies by touts (this includes tuk-tuk drivers in the bus station). You will pay more and most likely get a later time.
Other scheduled, inter-provincial buses serving Hat Yai: Surat Thani, Phuket, Satun, Trang, Krabi Town, Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Bus to Songkhla goes past the clock tower along Phetkasem Rd (ถนน เพชรเกษม), at the intersection close to Montri 1 Rd.

To/from Bangkok: Air-con buses by The Transport Co. Ltd (บริษัท ขนส่ง จำกัด (บขส.), bor-kor-sor) run between Bangkok southern bus terminal (สายใต้, sai-tai) and Hat Yai bus terminal daily. The distance is ~954 km and normally takes 12 hours.

• 24 seat VIP bus (พิเศษ, phiset) costs 1,072 baht, departs from Bangkok at 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00. For the return, departures at 16:00, 17:00, and 18:00.
• 32 seat Class 1 bus (ม1พ) costs 828 baht, departs from Bangkok and Hat Yai at 17:30.
• 47 seat Class 2 bus (ม2) departs from Bangkok at 07:00, 17:00, and 21:45; Hat Yai at 08:00, 15:30, and 17:00 for 535 baht.

To/from Kuala Lumpur: There are several Malaysian bus companies that go to/from Kuala Lumpur, you can get tickets either at tour agents or from the bus company shop. Cost of ticket varies depending on company and time of departure.

• Konsortium Bas Ekspress Semenanjung, 32, Prachathipat Rd, Hat Yai. Tel. +66 74 351 280 and +66 74 351 281 have 5 buses every day which leave Hat Yai to Kuala Lumpur, departure at 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 12:00, and 19:00. Tickets cost around 520 baht and it's a 10 hour journey if you factor in waiting at immigration, a meal stop, and traffic when you arrive in Kuala Lumpur. From Kuala Lumpur, 5 buses every day depart from Pudu Sentral at 09:10, 22:00, 22:30, 23:00 and 23:30. RM50-60. Can buy online. Bus can drop at Hat Yai Bus Station.
• Alisan Golden Coach Express, 17/1 Chee Uthit Road (on Google Maps it is called Thanon Sheutit), Hatyai, Songkhla, 90110 Thailand. Tel: +66 74 243 775 have 3 buses every day which leave Hat Yai to Kuala Lumpur. Departures at 09:00, 11:00, and 19:00. Tickets cost around 400 baht and it's a 10 hour journey if you factor in waiting at immigration, a meal stop, and traffic when you arrive in Kuala Lumpur.

To/from Penang: Scheduled air-conditioned minivans leave on the hour during the day from Georgetown's Lebuh Chulia (parking lot of E & A Hotel) The fare is presently set at RM30-35, advance booking is recommended. The journey including border formalities requires about 3-4 hours.

To/from Ipoh: There is a daily bus from Ipoh at 12:30 going to Hat Yai, departing from the long-distance bus terminal, cost RM45.

To/from Singapore: The main terminal for buses to and from Thailand is at the Golden Mile Complex, 5001 Beach Rd. It's at the northeastern end of Beach Rd, where it meets Crawford St. The lavender MRT station is within walking distance A number of travel agents specialising in buses and tours to Thailand operate from there. Grassland Express (Tel: 6293 1166) has a bus at 19:00 to Hat Yai for 55 Singapore dollars. Other operators at Golden Mile complex: Transtar Travel, Tel. 6299 9009; Sri Maju, Tel. 6293 4160; City Line Tour, Tel. 6396 6969; Konsortium, Tel. 6392 5000; Star Mart Express, Tel. 6396 5681/6396 5682; Five Star Tour, Tel. 6294 7011; Alisan, Tel. 6292 2112.
There are three border crossings to choose from, all easily accessible from Hat Yai. Dannok, Padang Besar and Sungai Kolok.

To/from Dannok: Vans run from Hat Yai right up to the Thai immigration complex in Dannok in Sadao district. Journey time is about one hour and the fare is 55 baht. Vans leave Dannok in front of the 7-11 store on the left side of the street after leaving the immigration complex. Note that the distance between the Thai and Malaysian immigration checkpoints is about 1 km, quite a distance to walk in the heat. You can take a motorcycle taxi between them. Bus and minivan to the border stop running around 18:00, so ask if there will be a return before boarding.

To/from Padang Besar: Regular buses depart Hat Yai's bus terminal for Padang Besar (only to the Thai side). Journey time is about one hour, price 50 baht (Aug 2012). If you are crossing to Malaysia immediately, ask to be dropped off right at the gates of the Thai immigration complex before your enter town.

To/from Sungai Kolok: A minibus run from Hat Yai bus terminal right up to the Thai immigration complex in Sungai Kolok by passing through the provinces of Pattani and Narathiwat in about 4 hours. 180 baht. When considering this option, please consult local advice on current security threats. Many travel advisories around the world consider it an area to avoid (according to a travel agent nothing has happened to this minibus service in the last 4 years, as opposed to the Hat Yai-Sungai Kolok train. The threat is a sleepy driver and the numerous roaming cows on the street. Last issues )

From Hua hin: 2 Air-con buses run between Bus terminal at Soi 69 in Hua hin and Hat Yai bus terminal daily. . These departs from Hua hin at 19:30 and 20:30 from Hua hin, and take 8 hours.

Minivans connect to and from all major locations in southern Thailand with Hat Yai. Where they depart from depends on the destination but the locals will be able to point you in the right direction. They are generally cheap and quicker than the buses but often overcrowded thus making them uncomfortable and dangerous.
There are also minivans connecting Hat Yai to Penang in Malaysia. There is no standart price, different agencies quote prices between 400 baht and 650 baht. Cathay Guesthouse, which is not far from train station, has probably the best rate set at 400 baht. Agencies near the bus terminal usually ask for 450-500 baht. Minivan times to Penang are 09.30am, 12.30pm and 03.30pm. Journey takes about 4-5 hours, depending on time spent at Sadao border. Tickets from Penang to Hat Yai are cheaper, about 35 Malaysian ringgit.

Taxis (tuk-tuks and motorbikes) are abundant in Hat Yai. They are available from any hotel. A ride within the city costs 20-60 baht. Ask the person at reception to write down the Thai address for you and show it to the driver. Rides to places outside the town are negotiable. Shared taxis going outside town can be found at the old market.

In February 2014, Hat Yai Inter Top Tour - 150 Niphat-Uthit 3 Rd (Cnr. Manasruedee) has one bike for rent, for 300 baht, passport photocopy and no deposit. The Cathay Guesthouse rents motorbikes starting at 200 baht per day for semi-automatics. Malay and English spoken. In January 2014, they cost already 250B. They only accept customers who leave their passport. There's a place close to the Genting Hotel about 2 km east of the train station that rents out motorbikes. +66 87 293 4695.
You can rent a used motorbike or a scooter in some repair shops. For example there is one at 47, Thanon Nipatuthit 1. The owner speaks English, he is a decent man, so better be careful with the motorbike otherwise he will stop renting them out. His tel +66 81 328 7625. Normally he would require your passport as a deposit and 250 baht a day for a scooter.