In a town like Bangkok, a taxi is an easy and cheap way to get around, but there are some unspoken rules that you have to figure out along the way. A little familiarity with the spoken and unspoken rules will help you get around easily and help you avoid potentially embarrassing confusion.
- A taxi with the meter off will have a small red light displayed in the bottom right corner of the windshield. If you see a taxi with the light on, you can try to flag him down.
- Just because the light is on, that doesn’t mean that the taxi is available. A driver could have a passenger that they’re driving for a flat fare with the meter off. Driving with the meter off is not legal, but it’s widely done.
- When you get into a taxi, they should start the meter which should read 35฿. If they want to drive you for a flat rate, make sure you agree on the rate before you go far.
- A driver may let you get in the car and start driving while you tell him where you’re going and try to haggle a fare. If the two of you can’t agree, he’ll pull over and let you out. Hopefully they took you closer to your destination, though.
- Taxis in Bangkok charge by the mile, with only a small adjustment for travel time. So a 1/2 mile trip will cost basically the same, no matter how long it actually takes. As a result, some drivers will refuse to take you in a direction that may be experiencing rough traffic, like during rush hour. But knowing how far you need to go and how much it should cost will help you haggle if they want to charge a flat rate.
- They may be more willing to drive you if you agree to a flat rate, but they will try to gouge you. I had one driver ask me for 400฿ for a ride, another driver asked for 500฿, and when I finally found a driver who would drive me with the meter on, the fare came to around 170฿.
- When you’re at a major tourist attraction, expect that the taxis will not use the meter. It’s an unofficial agreement among the drivers to charge more for the rides. To avoid this, walk away from the tourist attraction and find a taxi elsewhere.
- If a driver refuses to take you somewhere, you can report them to the Ministry of Transport Roadside Hotline, but you will need to provide a photo of the driver’s license card (inside the cab) or the license plate. I haven’t tried this yet, so I don’t know if the threat of reporting a driver will convince them to drive you or if it will just cause you more headaches.
- Yellow and green taxis are more likely to be flexible in driving you where you want to go, since those are privately owned, as opposed to the corporate owned pink taxis.
- You can haggle over the price for flat rates, but not the meter. But you need to negotiate before you get too far into the trip. Once you’ve agreed to a rate, you’re committed.
- The first phrase a Thai taxi driver learns in English is “traffic jam”, which they’ll use to try to convince you to agree to an inflated flat rate. They will always claim that there’s a traffic jam. If you know they’re full of it, laugh, tell them there’s no traffic jam, and counter with a better fare.
- If you need to go far, the driver may ask if you want to take the highway. If you say yes, it’ll be faster, but you will have to pay for the tolls in addition to the meter fare or the rate you discussed, and the driver will expect that money from you when you get to the toll booth, rather than pay the toll and add it to your fare.
- Try to pay with small bills. Drivers don’t always have enough change for large bills, or they may try to keep some of the smaller change as a tip.
- A tuk tuk is smaller, and has no air conditioning, but it might be a viable option. Not only is it a more ‘authentic’ experience, but it can actually be faster, since they can squeeze through tight spaces in traffic that would stop a taxi.
- If you take a tuk tuk, keep your arms and feet inside the ride at all times, and make sure you have all of your bags and personal items secured to your body. Thieves on mopeds have been known to drive by, snatch what they can, and take off. The same is true if you’re walking down the sidewalk with your phone held out.
I’m sure there’s more to know about taxis in Bangkok, but this is what I’ve been able to figure out so far, mostly through trial-and-error. I haven’t had any issues with taxis in Bangkok, but a little extra knowledge about what to expect could mean the difference between an easy and comfortable ride and an expensive one.
