Phantip 1970 vs Raja Car Ferry
Compare Phantip 1970 and Raja Car Ferry — routes, service areas, and coverage across Thailand. See where they overlap and where each operator goes its own way.
Operator A Phantip 1970 vs 
Operator B Raja Car Ferry What travellers say: Phantip 1970 vs Raja Car Ferry
Travellers rate both operators positively overall, with Phantip 1970 backed by thousands of reviews and Raja Car Ferry showing a marginally higher average from a much smaller sample.
Phantip 1970
Phantip 1970 earns a 4.27 average from 7,405 reviews, with 79.6% positive feedback praising smooth coordinated transfers, frequent early arrivals, helpful staff, and strong value for multi-leg routes; common complaints include reckless drivers, cramped minivans, poor transfer communication, and luggage fees. Book confidently through ThailandBoatTickets.com and reach our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant anytime on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram or Facebook.
Raja Car Ferry
Raja Car Ferry achieves a 4.33 average from 15 reviews, with 86.7% positive ratings highlighting reliable crossings, comfortable air-conditioned lounge seating, and flexibility for early boarding; drawbacks centre on dated vessels, occasional late departures, and occasional AC issues.
Both deliver solid traveller sentiment for their services, with Phantip offering broader multi-leg insights and Raja strong on car-ferry reliability; secure tickets via ThailandBoatTickets.com for seamless support.
Pros & cons
Phantip 1970 Pros
- Smooth, well-organised coordinated transfers with staff using destination stickers on clothing
- On-time or often early arrivals with flexibility to board earlier departures at no extra charge
- Good value for money on multi-leg routes combining minivan, bus and ferry
- Helpful and friendly staff, especially at offices and counters
- Comfortable vehicles and ferries on good legs, particularly the Seatran ferry with AC, clean seats and sun deck
Cons
- Reckless driver behaviour including speeding, overtaking on blind corners and phone use without hands-free
- Poor communication at transfer points leading to confusion, long waits and chaotic changeovers
- Cramped and overpacked minivans with little legroom and luggage stuffed in aisles
- Luggage surcharges of 100-300 baht for larger suitcases, sometimes applied inconsistently
- Late arrivals 1-3 hours beyond advertised times due to extra stops and detours; occasional old or dirty Raja ferries
Raja Car Ferry Pros
- Reliable crossing that gets travellers and vehicles across as needed
- Comfortable air-conditioned lounge seating praised as surprisingly good
- Flexibility to board an earlier ferry when arriving ahead of schedule
Cons
- Late departures reported up to 1.5 hours behind schedule
- Dated or old vessels, sometimes described as dirty
- Air conditioning problems on some sailings
Service areas at a glance
Based on currently active routes for each operator.
Both operators 3
Only Phantip 1970 15
Only Raja Car Ferry 0
No areas served exclusively by Raja Car Ferry.
Routes & coverage compared
Both Phantip 1970 and Raja Car Ferry operate the routes Koh Phangan to Surat Thani Train Station, Koh Samui to Surat Thani, Surat Thani to Koh Samui, and Surat Thani Airport to Koh Phangan, giving trip planners direct head-to-head options on these connections. Book these shared routes easily at ThailandBoatTickets.com where our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant (VTA) is available on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram and Facebook.
Phantip 1970 runs many additional routes beyond the shared ones, such as connections from Ao Nang, Hat Yai, Khao Sok, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Tao and Surat Thani to various islands and destinations including Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi and more, while Raja Car Ferry has no unique routes. Plan all options at ThailandBoatTickets.com and reach our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant (VTA) via WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram or Facebook.
Routes both operators run
Same departure and destination — true head-to-head options.
Price distribution
How ticket prices spread across each operator's routes (THB).
Phantip 1970 tickets usually fall between 530 THB–940 THB (median 770 THB), while Raja Car Ferry between 700 THB–1,040 THB (median 870 THB). On the whole, Phantip 1970 offers the cheaper tickets.
Which should you pick?
Frequently asked questions
Phantip 1970 vs Raja Car Ferry