Do I need to buy a ticket for every ride?
Short answer
On the BTS, a Rabbit card ends the queueing. But Bangkok's rail is two separate systems, and the underground MRT is not covered by it.
Why one card does not rule the city
The elevated BTS Skytrain and the underground MRT look like one network on the map and are not: they are built and run by different operators — the BTS by a private company, the MRT under the state Mass Rapid Transit Authority. Interchange stations connect the platforms, not the ticketing.
So the honest answer is split. The Rabbit card covers the BTS, the BRT busway and the newer MRT Yellow and Pink monorail lines. The core underground MRT sells its own tickets at its own machines.
The Rabbit card, where it works
It costs 100 baht to issue, with no deposit, and holds stored value from 100 up to 4,000 baht. Top-ups happen at ticket offices and machines in the stations it serves.
Where it applies, it does what transit cards do everywhere: tap through the gate, skip the queue at the ticket machine, stop hoarding coins for fares.
How to ride with the split
A day that stays on the BTS side needs only the Rabbit. A day that crosses to the underground MRT means buying that leg separately — single-journey tokens or the MRT's own card, from the machines by its gates.
Plan around the interchange rather than resenting it: know which system each leg of your day sits on, and the two-ticket reality becomes a minor chore instead of a surprise at a closed gate.
Good to know
- Rabbit: BTS, BRT and MRT Yellow/Pink — not the underground MRT
- Card costs 100 baht with no deposit; stored value up to 4,000
- Interchange stations connect platforms, not ticketing
No. One rechargeable IC card taps you through almost every train, subway and bus in the country.
No. A QR code in a payment app covers every line, and contactless bank cards work at the gates too.
No. One rechargeable transit card covers subway, buses and taxis, and any convenience store sells and tops one up.
No. One EasyCard from any convenience store covers the metro, buses, trains and even the high speed rail — and pays at the shops in between.