The Chao Phraya Express Boat is a transportation service in Thailand operating on the Chao Phraya River. It provides riverine express transportation between stops in the capital city of Bangkok and to Nonthaburi, the province immediately to the north. Established in 1971, the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company serves both local commuters and tourists. It also offers special tourist boats and a weekend river boat tours, as well as offering boats available for charter. Along with BTS Skytrain and Bangkok MRT, using the boats allows commuters to avoid traffic jams during the peak hours on weekdays.
The 21 kilometres (13 mi) route is served by 65 boats and operates from 06:00–21:30 (last departure from CEN-Sathorn pier of a yellow flagged boat) on weekdays and from 06:00–18:40 on weekends and holidays. Current prices are from THB10 (Local line for distance within one zone) to THB32 (for green-yellow flag trip on its entire route from Pakkret to Sathon), depending on the type of boat and the distance travelled. The river boats carry an average of about 40,000 passengers per day.
The river boat service runs between Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi and Rat Burana district of Bangkok. Sathon pier in Sathon district provides a connection to the Skytrain at Saphan Taksin BTS Station.
Chao Phraya Express boats operates mainly two types of boats; all of them are built mainly out of wood.
Single-screw boat: They are able to hold around 90-120 passengers at a time and are around 26-32m long and about 2.7m wide. The area on the back of the boat (floor painted yellow) is normally restricted to embarking and disembarking passengers, but some people like to stand there when the boat is highly crowded. There are two 2-step stairs on each side of the boat connecting the yellow pad on the back to the passenger area inside the boat, while in between those stairs is a non-functioning on-board toilet. The engine room, in the appearance of a large wooden box, is inboard in the center line of the boat in front of the seating area. There are two rows of seats on the left and another two on the right and an aisle passing in the middle. On the newer boats, the roof from over the engine room to the middle section of the boat is raised for extra headroom because most standing passengers on crowded boats are standing there. This design has been applied to all other boats that are being built in the company's shipyards in Bangkok and Ayutthaya. These type of boats operate on all non-flagged, orange-flagged and green-yellow-flagged boats, but also off-peak direction trips of yellow-flagged boats. The fleet has about 50 boats of this type.
Twin-screw boat or "super size" boat: This type of boat holds around 120 to 180 passengers. Unlike the single-screw boat, the boat driver sits in a small pod above the passenger deck, similar to a cockpit on board a Boeing 747 airliner, giving view for passenger in the front-most row and public access to the boat's front deck for passengers who desire to watch the view from the boat's front without any obstruction (except for the Thai national flag). It is about 30–40 meters long and about 5–7 meters wide. Unlike a single-screw boat, its seating area stretches over the entire boat, while most seating is in front of engines. The engine rooms are placed lower than those in single-screw boats, and some passengers prefer to sit on them when it is crowded. There are 8 seats behind each engine. There are two aisles in the seating area in front of the engines and 3 aisles behind the engines. There are two toilets, one on the port and another one on the starboard, located in front of the engines. This type of boat serves as yellow flagged express boat in peak hours, and serves as tourist boats in off-peak hours. The fleet has about 15 boats of this type.
All seats on board all boats have individual life jackets and there are lifebuoys around the boat that can be used in case of an emergency.
Local Line: runs between Nonthaburi and Wat Rat Singkhon districts in Bangkok (Rush hours only).
Blue Flag Line: This service runs between Nonthaburi and Sathon districts in Bangkok. At Sathorn pier is an interchange, where passengers may change boats or change their transportation to ferry, longtail boat, BTS Skytrain and bus.
Orange Flag Line: runs between Nonthaburi Province at the north end, and Rat Burana district in Bangkok at the south end (Daily all-day service). The fare is THB15.
Yellow Flag Line: runs between Nonthaburi and Ratburana districts in Bangkok (Rush hours only). (3 trips in the morning of holiday period from Nonthaburi to Sathorn, and 3 trips in the evening from Sathorn to Nonthaburi, served by large boats that also serves as tourist boat)
Green-Yellow Flag Line (Rush hours only; only line that goes further north from Nonthaburi Pier)
Tourist boat (Serves Sathorn (CEN), Oriental (N1), Si Phraya (N3), Rachawongse (N5), Tha Tien (N8), Maharaj Pier, Wang Lang (N10), Phra Athit (N13). After that it circles back down along the same path to Sathorn pier) It runs from 09:00–21:30 daily. Service to Asiatique pier runs from 16:00–21.30.
N33 Pak Kret (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
N32 Wat Klang Kret (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
N31 Ministry of Commerce (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
N30 Nonthaburi (Phibun Songkhram 3) - a large market of the city (Terminal pier for all lines, except a green-yellow flag)
N29 Phibun Songkhram 2 - Rama V Bridge and Wat Nakhon In
(N29) Rama V bridge (Thonburi bank): Newly built pier; served only by orange flagged boats
N28 Wat Khian (Served only by local boat (No flag); Orange flag serves on off-peak hours)
N27 Wat Tuek (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N26 Wat Khema (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N25 Phibun Songkhram 1 (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N24 Rama VII Bridge (Thon Buri Bank)
N23 Wat Soi Thong (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N22 Bang Pho
N21 Kiakkai - Military venue at the northernmost of Samsen Road
N20 Khiao Khai Ka (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N19 Department of Irrigation (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N18 Phayap - Access to northern section of Sam Sen Road
N17 Wat Thep Nari (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N16 Krung Thon Bridge
N15 Thewet - Flower market and Vietnamese community
N14 Rama VIII Bridge - Bank of Thailand (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N13 Phra Athit - Khao San Road and Bang Lamphu clothing market
N12 Phra Pin Klao Bridge - Close to the Southern Bus Terminal
N11 Thon Buri Railway - Terminal of SRT Western line (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N10 Wang Lang (Siriraj) - Siriraj Hospital and ladies market
Maharaj for Grand Palace (Tourist boats stop here rather than at N9 Tha Chang)
N9 Tha Chang - Grand Palace, museums and universities quarter
N8 Tha Tian - dried seafood market and notable temples
N7 Rachini - 24-hour flower market (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N6 Memorial Bridge - Little India and night market, ferry to Portuguese community
N5 Ratchawong - Chinatown
N4 Marine Department
N3 Si Phraya - Close to Portuguese and French embassies
N2 Wat Muang Khae (Served only by local boat (No flag))
N1 Oriental - Old Westerner quarter
CEN Sathon (Taksin Bridge) - Interchange and terminal of Skytrain at Saphan Taksin BTS Station; (terminal pier of peak-direction yellow flag boats and green-yellow flag boats, and also tourist boat)
S1 Wat Sawettrachat (Served only by local boat (No flag))
S2 Wat Worachanyawat
S3 Wat Rat Singkhon (Terminal pier for local boat (No flag) and orange-flagged boats)
S4 Rat Burana (Big C) - Terminal pier for counter-peak direction yellow-flagged boats (generally smaller boats than peak direction)
