These constructions, seen all over Thailand, are known as roadside shelters or ‘highway huts’. They are sometimes referred to as bus shelters/stops, however, only in Bangkok, where there are 2100 modern, differently designed structures, are they actually used as bus stops.

Songtaews (it could be argued that these are buses in Thailand) sometimes use them as a pickup point.

They are used as a resting place, a meeting place, a garage, as a shelter for the homeless or simply not used at all. Many are located arbitrarily and even injudiciously, although that should not be cause for too much comment in Thailand. An indeterminate number are constructed merely to expend the end-of-year budget. The are not built by a single entity.

The type of construction varies, as does the colour, the design, the finish and the utility. One obvious feature – the colour – changes by locale. The most common colour is yellow but red, blue and green are also seen.

In more populated areas there are sometimes up to three in a kilometre. In more rural areas they are more spaced or non-existent.

Roadside Shelters/Highway Huts are an interesting reflection of the various communities within Thailand, and their culture.

Ongoing construction and refurbishment of these shelters indicates that they are a required and even desired facility.

They are sometimes provided by community-minded corporations like Big C in Ayutthaya that funded this one on the busy highway in front of their complex.

Or this one on Route 11 at Ban Khao Taphan Nak, Phitsanulok provided by Akara Resources, owner of the Chatree Gold Mine – Thailand’s largest.

Or this one outside Ban Kok Mai Daen, provided by the local Police Social Club.

There are numerous benefactor-provided roadside shelters throughout the country.

However, by far the great majority of roadside shelters are provided by the Department of Highways, an agency of Thai government that, refreshingly, has a ‘No Gift Policy”. They are responsible for more than 25,000 shelters nationwide. The design of these shelters, while not uniform, is distinctive.

The Department clearly has a program to replace/update shelters throughout the country but equally clearly the program is not keeping pace or certain sites are falling off the radar. In 2018 they spent 200 million baht replacing and refurbishing roadside shelters.

The constructions range from modern shelters in good condition to decrepit structures of historical value only.

This Roadside Shelter at Ban Pak Huay Oi Tai was erected in memory of a respected villager.

This Roadside Shelter at Chong Khae actually declares its identity as a ‘Highway Hut’.

This an interesting juxtaposition of Shelters on Route 2269. The newer green structure in the first photograph has clearly replaced the ageing yellow hut. Immediately opposite, on the other side of the road, in the second photograph, is an even newer structure – but this is in Maha Sarakham Province. Obviously Route 2269 is the border between the two Provinces in this location. Note the color change of the roofs from yellow to green. This is also seen in the green-roofed shelter at Pathum Rat, Roi Et  (above).

 

 

© Kim Epton 2024-2025
 1119 words, 70 photographs.

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