Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On December 24, 2025, Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, Thailand, launched the "Magic Hat Yai Happy Bus" project. This project is a key component of the "Smile@Hat Yai – Bringing Smiles Back to Hat Yai" flood reconstruction framework. Led by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and jointly launched with the Songkhla Chamber of Commerce, the Songkhla Youth Employment Committee, the Songkhla Tourism Council, and the Songkhla Provincial Department of Transportation, the project aims to improve urban transportation, boost tourist confidence, revitalize tourism activities, and help Hat Yai fully recover and reopen to domestic and international tourists.
Ms. Thapane Kittappur, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, stated, “Hat Yai’s recovery is inseparable from smooth urban transportation. Convenient and reliable transportation is key to rebuilding market confidence, supporting local businesses, and ensuring a comfortable experience for tourists. The ‘Happy Bus’ is a practical solution that demonstrates our firm commitment to helping the city achieve a strong and sustainable recovery under the ‘Smile@Hat Yai’ program.”
The project will operate from December 24, 2025 to February 28, 2026, providing free city bus services to residents and tourists. The service will utilize four minibuses that meet national transportation standards (each accommodating 20 passengers), with two core routes: one running between Hat Yai Railway Station and Prince of Songkla University, connecting hotels, tourist attractions, and city landmarks along the way; the other connecting Prince of Songkla University, the fountain roundabout, and Hat Yai Railway Station, comprehensively covering the city center’s commercial and economic core areas.
The buses will operate daily from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with one bus per hour. Passengers can track the vehicle's location in real time via the link https://schoolbustracking.one.th/user-tracking, allowing for convenient and safe travel to various tourist attractions, shops, hotels, and businesses within the city, thus boosting local economic activity and creating a positive tourism atmosphere.
This Happy Bus project precisely addresses the recovery needs following the Hat Yai floods. The floods damaged vehicles and disrupted traffic, severely impacting daily travel for residents and the travel experience for tourists. As a vital economic and tourism center in southern Thailand, Hat Yai's development heavily relies on efficient urban transportation, especially for tourists from surrounding markets who depend on public transport to accommodations, shopping areas, and attractions. The introduction of free buses will effectively alleviate this pain point. The project is expected to serve at least 15,000 passengers during its operation and is a pragmatic recovery measure under the "Smile@Hat Yai" framework.
In addition to the Happy Bus, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a series of comprehensive recovery measures, including a Malaysia-Thailand promotional tour, restoring the destination's image, creating distinctive tourism activities, collaborating with airlines on marketing, expanding the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism sector, and promoting domestic tourism. These comprehensive measures aim to revitalize Hat Yai and help it regain its status as a leading tourist destination in southern Thailand.
