Transportation
Hat Yai has become the transportation hub of Southern Thailand since the railway was built. The largest station in the south of the country, Hat Yai Railway Station is an international railway station. It handles 28 passenger trains per day, including 26 trains served by State Railway of Thailand and 2 trains served by KTMB of Malaysia. Hat Yai is also the hub for local trains in Southern Thailand.
Parallel to the railway is the Asian highway 2. Asian highway 18 begins in Hat Yai and runs south along the eastern coast of the Malay peninsula.
Hat Yai Bus Terminal is a major hub in southern Thailand. It connects to nearly every town and city in the southern region and also other destinations, including Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. Hat Yai also has a Mini-bus Terminal which hosts the largest mini-bus service in southern Thailand. There are also several private mini-bus services which focus on tourism destinations, including Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, Pak Bara Peer in Satun (the doorway to islands in the southern Andaman Sea), Langkawi, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Mini-buses are considered a faster way to travel.
Hat Yai International Airport is 9 km from downtown, serving destinations throughout Thailand and connecting the city to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It is also an important airport for Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca. The airport is listed as the 5th busiest airport in Thailand, serving 1,869,113 passengers in 2011.
In the city, there are small taxi services called tuk-tuks; these are a popular means of transport for tourists. Meters were introduced in early 2012. Locals, though, often just use mopeds and scooters around the town.
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