PHUKET: The ‘Sandbox Express Bus’, which was to cease operations today (Aug 16), has been extended to continue taking Sandbox tourists from Phuket to Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok until at least Aug 30, and Sandbox tourists can now also choose to take a private minivan to the capital, officials confirmed today.

The extended and expanded services were announced through the “Official Phuket Information Center’, operated by the Phuket office of the Ministry of Interior.

The bus will continue to operate every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, costing B1,800 per person per trip.

Shared vans also now depart every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, costing B2,300 per person in a van shared among six passengers, a staffer operating the Sandbox Express Bus contact line confirmed to The Phuket News.

If a passenger prefers, he or she can hire a van to occupy all by his or herself, at a cost of B13,500, and travel on the day he or she prefers, the staffer also confirmed.

Meanwhile, the bus itself will continue to pick up passengers from Central Festival Phuket at 5am and from the PTT petrol station in Thalang at 5:30am. The bus is scheduled to arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport at approximately 9pm the same day.

To reserve a seat on bus, passengers need to submit additional documents to the SHA Plus Manager for the hotel or other accommodation venue where they are staying with the following details:

• Passenger’s email and phone number
• Destination (Suvarnabhumi International Airport or the destination province)
• Flight (if available)
• Date of flight (if applicable)
• RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Test results no later than 72 hours before departure (if not a passenger from the Phuket Sandbox project); or a Release Form if the passenger is from the Phuket Sandbox project
• Copy of passport and immigration stamp
• Immigration entry document number

The SHA Plus Manager will reserve a seat on a certified vehicle so that the passenger can travel out of the province. The documents listed above will still need to be submitted to the SHA Plus Manager, the announcement noted.

All bookings for the bus for Phuket Sandbox tourists must be made via the SHA Plus Manager at the passenger’s SHA Plus hotel.

Bookings are open daily from 8:30am to 4pm.

“Please reserve your seat before 12:00 (noon) one day before departure,” the announcement said.

Passengers must register by completing a Google Form registration document (click here).

“If you wish to travel on a date other than the one listed above, please fill out the ’Other/Other’ field in the form and the Sandbox Express team will contact you directly,” the announcement noted.

People with enquiries about the Phuket Sandbox Bus service were advised to call Ms May at 093-5800889 or Khun Panya at 086-4927882?.

 

 

 

The Phuket News