Bangkok Taxi Tips

One of the easiest and certainly the most comfortable way to get around Bangkok is by air conditioned car. For many tourists that mean taxis, in Bangkok they are cheap and can be found everywhere, night or day.

Bangkok taxis use meters so you do not have to negotiate fares. If you run into one refusing to use the meter, wave him along and hail a new cab.

The fare starts at 35 Baht, stays there for the first two km and increases by roughly 2 Baht per km after that. Most downtown taxi rides comes to about 50-70 Baht.

Following is a list of tips to make your Bangkok taxi experience smooth and easy:

• Available taxis have glowing red vacant signs in the front window.
• It is ok to get a taxi at a bus stop as long as no bus is coming.
• Don’t take the first taxi you see outside your hotel, pub or tourist attraction. Often these drivers will refuse to use the meter or want to take you to places you don’t want to go. It is better to walk out on the street and hail a moving cab.
• Don’t be surprised if the driver refuses to take you to your desired location. Simply hail the next cab, probably coming along shortly.
• Carry a map, card or directions in Thai explaining where you are going. Most taxi drivers speak poor or no English.
• Learn a few phrases of Thai like:
  – turn left – leow sai
  – turn right – leow kwaa
  – go straight – trong bai
  – stop here – jut tee nee
  Speaking a little Thai will make the driver think you have been here for a while and is far less likely to try to scam you.
• Watch out for scams. Most drivers are honest but occasionally you might encounter someone trying to scam you. They might try to take you to gem stores, massage parlors or such where they receive commission.
• Remember your taxi. Taxis in Bangkok have numbers both inside and outside.
  If you forget something in the cab you can call 1644, the call center for lost items.
• Look out for motor cycles when you get out of your taxi, they are everywhere.
• Tipping is not required in Thailand but rounding the tip up to the nearest 5 or 10 Baht is a nice gesture as the drivers make little money.

There you go. If you follow these tips taking a taxi in Bangkok should be a breeze.