Airport to Hotel

[firecat69]

I have had some bad experiences with taxis but I don't let some bad experiences color a whole group of taxi drivers.

 

How many of you have not had a poor experience with a money boy. If you say none I don't believe you.  Does that make them the Money Boy Mafia.

 

Certainly the same applies to Massage experiences. Why don't I hear Massage Mafia. And by the way these bad experiences and everybody has had them represent a lot more money then 50 or 100 baht to taxi drivers.

 

Anyone who complains about the taxi drivers parked in front of Soi Twilight or on Silom at night just don't get it. Walk up the street a block and a hail a moving taxi and it is almost sure he switch the meter on when you close the door.

 

As far as a tourist getting ripped off at the airport because he is not familiar with the correct fare etc. 

 

No excuse for their stupidity. With hundreds of sites like this one and travel sites like trip advisor anyone who arrives in an unfamiliar destination without doing some reading has nobody to blame but themselves.

 

One of the first things I do when going to a new city is read on Trip Advisor etc what to expect in the way of fares etc for taxis.

 

And by the way I have never been in a city and I have been in many where the quality of the taxis and the fares come even close to BKK.  In most cases many many more times expensive.

 

Now anyone wants to complain about Taxi Mafia in Pattaya I will fully support you and that includes the crooks in baht buses if you ask for individual transpiration to some point.

[ChristianPFC]

99% of my taxi experiences are positive. But I speak Thai with them, so they know I know prices and locations (looking back, in the last fours years it was that I give directions to a place, instead of asking the taxi driver to take me to a place whose exact location I don't know).

 

I had even some trips where driver took me to main road for free at end of shift.

 

By taxi mafia I mean taxis who refuse to use the meter (usually they ask for twice the meter fare, the few times per year I check to confirm that standing taxis in Silom and Surawong refuse to use the meter). This practice deprives honest drivers of their fare and delays traffic as they block one lane, forcing customers to hail a taxi on second lane, then road is fully blocked.

 

One could argue that they save energy by not driving, but they have their engine running for aircon. I think one of the new taxi services has taxis parked in certain locations instead of roaming around.

 

Side note: when possible, I ask taxi driver "Where do you go when you have no customer?" and will make a statistic some time. Responses so far inconsistent.

 

No matter where and how much, I refuse and advise everyone else to do so as well. Honest taxi driver is just around the corner.

 

I had two trips with flat fare: on my first time in Thailand (ignorance) and on Songkran 2013 with a drunken boy in tow (poor planning on my part, special circumstances).

[firecat69]

Wonder if anyone has used UBER  in BKK.  One of the cities listed but I wonder how many drivers they have?

[paulsf]

There is a thread in the Thailand section of Flyer Talk that deals with Uber. Seems split decision. Some like the ease of just getting a taxi and some live off the beaten path where getting a taxi is more difficult. They like Uber because they can order and track car.

Prices are higher than taxi, but at least you know what your going to pay upfront and can refuse if you want.

My apt is on a very busy taxi street. I never wait more than 1 minute to get picked up. I use Uber in the U.S. And like it a lot ..

When I get back to Bangkok in Sept, I'm going to try it a couple of times when I do longer cross city trips, just to check it out.

There is also Grab Taxi, that works the same as Uber, but is S.E. Asia based. (Singapore?)

[Moses]

Wonder if anyone has used UBER  in BKK.  One of the cities listed but I wonder how many drivers they have?

 

it doesn't worth to use it: the same taxi cars, but prices almost twice higher than normal...

 

example: travel BKK - Poipet by normal taxi 2000 baht, Uber offers the same for 3800.

[vinapu]

99% of my taxi experiences are positive. 

as so are mine,

 

I also agree with firecat that taxis are such a good value in BKK that is not worth getting upset over small change in comparison to prices elsewhere.

 

Few times succumbed to flat fare offers  but they never were extortionate considering distance or circumstances.

 

Only offer I always summarily reject is frequently quoted past midnight 150 from Suriwong to Malaysia Hotel / meter is about 60 / . If they won't accept 100 I wait whole 20 seconds for next taxi to appear. 

[vinapu]

it doesn't worth to use it: the same taxi cars, but prices almost twice higher than normal...

 

example: travel BKK - Poipet by normal taxi 2000 baht, Uber offers the same for 3800.

what they quote for BKK-Pattaya trip ?, just curious

 

I doubt  it makes sense for average  tourist to use UBER considering how abundant taxis are and how horrendous traffic is at daytime.

 

It took me twice as long to get from Ekkamai to Sala Daeng by taxi at 11 a.m.  than reverse direction by BTS 1 hour earlier, cost 42 BTS vs.106 taxi 

[Guest]

I'm of opinion that when on vacation being in transit is not wasting time -rather is an opportunity to savor and experience environment I will be spending my vacations in. In Bangkok bonus is abundance of eye candy in the train.

Exactly.

 

 

I admire steel nerves of those who are taking  taxis  for the final trip to the airport from PTY . I'd never put myself through what anonone just described , rather opt for final night in BKK. But I'm of high blood pressure already.

Well on my very first trip, I booked a hotel for the last night in Bangkok to avoid this. However, I ended up cancelling it & taking a taxi direct from Pattaya to the airport.

It's about 1 hour 20 minutes from Pattaya to the airport.

Depending on how you travel, I suppose it is 30~60 minutes from Silom to the airport.

The difference is not so great.

If you're nervous about the taxi service from Pattaya, just leave a bit more time so you can find a back up service.

However, I still like to take a taxi service that is still getting good CURRENT reviews.

[Guest anonone]

I have to agree with z909.  I think the trouble of packing up a night early, taking 2 hour taxi to Bangkok, checking into hotel, and all that is just too much bother.

 

Especially with the EARLY morning flights when there is no traffic between Pattaya and BKK.  It is actually a pretty easy, safe drive at that time.

 

After several years of enjoying the really low prices available for lodging and transport in Thailand, I have begun to spend a bit more for a better experience.  Still very inexpensive compared to other destinations, but I am enjoying myself much more now with a better bed and a more reliable taxi. 

 

Crap...maybe I am getting old????

[vinapu]

 

 

Crap...maybe I am getting old????

yes , but not just you

[Guest Cedric]

99% of my taxi experiences are positive. But I speak Thai with them, so they know I know prices and locations (looking back, in the last fours years it was that I give directions to a place, instead of asking the taxi driver to take me to a place whose exact location I don't know)....

 

 

 

Yes I agree and as a non Thai speaking visitor 99% of my more recent taxi experiences in Bangkok at least have been negative. I must say here Chiang Mai is completely different as are many other places I've been. Yes its true if you do know where you are going and how much it should reasonably cost metered beforehand you are in a better position. Concierges are invaluable for this sort of information but not all are terribly good at knowing distances and costs. Im usually in constant dialogue with the concierge where ever I am in Thailand it saves a lot of time and wasted holiday browsing.

 

Im not sure if this has anything to do with it but given how so many drivers dont actually know Bangkok that well (it appears) maybe not, but could your destination or leaving point be influencing them into believing they can get away with bad practises and extortion, for example expensive hotels? Im just wondering. Many times I've threatened to get out a taxi a couple of meters into the trip before they've even left the hotel grounds because they try and negotiate the fare the minute they leave the forecourt instead of putting on the meter.

 

Taxis parked late at night at popular tourist points blocking the road for other taxis...yes another typical Thai Taxi Mafia happening. 

 

Should tired tourists honestly have to know at four am in the morning to turn left at the rat under the plank, go straight until you reach the corner, short cut across the cholera flooded construction site, turn left under the foul smelling urinal foot bridge where a word of perfectly wonderful taxi drivers may or may not await??? Or should the Junta be clamping down on these idiot taxi drivers trying to extort money from tourist at every turn?

 

I wonder??? The Sky train its true is a far far far better an experience all round, more hotels should have shuttles or boats to SKY train stops.

 

Taxi fares aren't particularly cheap not for Thailand, or is the cost of living for taxi drivers on another level to every other Thai?

 

Bearing in mind many visitors save up and go to Thailand because it's a good deal, they honestly don't like being treated like cash cows when they're on a limited budget. With cheaper travel options than ever before more and more less well heeled travellers can get to places like Thailand. Khao San road and surrounds is looking more and more like Benidorm every year, why should these tourists contributing perfectly decently to the Thai economy be subject to being ripped off.

 

I think Taxi fares in Hong Kong are incredibly cheap, so is the MTR because I live here and work here and earn here, I don't even use them I drive my car everywhere but that doesn't make them necessarily cheap for tourists. I think public transport in London is extremely expensive and crap to boot etc etc

 

All the Taxi Mafia are doing is making Bangkok and other places an unpleasant experience for visitors, the traffic situation is bad enough without constant taxi traumas on top of it.

[vinapu]

 .....taxi drivers trying to extort money from tourist......

 

Bearing in mind many visitors save up and go to Thailand because it's a good deal, they honestly don't like being treated like cash cows when they're on a limited budget.

extorting money from newcomers is age old and world wide phenomena and very few places world over are free from this disease.

 

I don't even think Bangkok is particularly bad in this respect. It's why many cities are actually mandating flat rates from the airport to prevent  tourists being skinned alive by taxi drivers 

 

As for limited budget - I always thought that travelers on limited budget don't even contemplate taking taxi unless  all other options are non existing. They are waiting for the bus/train.

[ChristianPFC]

example: travel BKK - Poipet by normal taxi 2000 baht, Uber offers the same for 3800.

 

And there is a train (to Aranyaprathet, but then taxi does only take you to the border crossing as well) which costs 48 Baht (no mistake!) however it has no aircon and takes a few hours longer.

 

vinapu: Only offer I always summarily reject is frequently quoted past midnight 150 from Suriwong to Malaysia Hotel / meter is about 60 / . If they won't accept 100 I wait whole 20 seconds for next taxi to appear.

 

People like you and firecat who know about the taxi mafia, but still use taxi who don't use the meter, are part of the problem.

 

 

Im not sure if this has anything to do with it but given how so many drivers dont actually know Bangkok that well (it appears) maybe not, but could your destination or leaving point be influencing them into believing they can get away with bad practises and extortion, for example expensive hotels?

 

Absolutely! A rule of thumb: a taxi standing in a tourist area or in front of a hotel/restaurant is generally trying to overcharge you. An exception I found is the corner Silom/Saladaeng, where standing taxis always switch on the meter without me prompting to do so, whereas across the road (Silom in front of Soi 2), they usually ask for 100 Baht to go to Malaysia hotel area.

 

It has to do with how you behave as well. When I see tourists in group discussing with a driver, and showing maps or printouts or mobile phone screen, I know they are going to be overcharged. In fact, if time and place permits, I eavesdrop because it's entertaining. I just get in (front seat for better view; most people prefer back seat) and state my destination.

[Guest Cedric]

 Sit in the front seat with the taxi driver      

[Guest Cedric]

Yes honestly yes it is good sport watching other tourists, until it happens to you.

 

I saw a family catching a taxi around ten pm, not that late. They looked like they came from Schieringen Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, one of those districts where no one even notices if your kids go to school or not. It was touching to say the least, very much out of their element in everything. Husband was morbidly obese with diabetes, daughter anorexic meths look, mother dyed blonde fashion victim possible breast implant too much to drink, son tall and pole like blank face and baby fat like daddy, spoilt. They were fish out of water but going for it and with a certain amount of Dutch courage (no pun intended) actually having a good time on their welfare cheques despite a very obvious culture shock.

 

Until the taxi, then it all came unstuck. They all tried demanding the driver use his meter before they got in, well two had already got in and the rest had their heads in the window of the drivers seat shouting and shaking their heads. Much noise and they all piled in. Few meters more screaming taxi stopped half got out the other half screaming blue murder then they all got out, banging the taxi on the roof as he made his escape. Dejected standing on the side of the road waiting for another taxi.......apparently he not only didn't want to use his meter he also didn't want to go where they needed to be.

 

I mean is this all necessary??? This would never happen in the Netherlands never ever ever. You are whisked away in your Mercedes meter ticking confidently no questions, safe as houses as efficient as the Germans, dependable, courteous and it bears repeating, efficient. I know because I've visited many times and have never been treated like a dumb tourist. That family would probably have all fell asleep and been woken gently at the end.

 

I like tipping taxis if they're any good I think it promotes good behaviour, not sure in Bangkok's case. Hong Kong taxi drivers can also be a nasty lot, very. The more chatty they are the worse they are.

[firecat69]

Cedric  I am trying to figure out what world you are in. To compare HKG taxi fares with Bangkok is ridiculous.  I was just there a few months ago and took taxi from airport to Hotel and it cost 5x as much as a similar ride in BKK.

 

You mention the Netherlands , just more information that is incorrect. Try taking a taxi in Amsterdam and you will pay 5-10 x as much for a similar ride .  I grant you it may be a Mercedes but its $60 US Schiphol to downtown Amsterdam  less of a distance then BKK airport to downtown for $12 US.

 

Yes Skytrain is a great option if it goes where you happen to be going and you are not traveling late at night. Possibly you are spoiled because HKG has mass transit then runs 24 hours a day for the most part.

 

Cedric your post alludes to the fact that you are staying in high priced hotels , so all you do is tell the doorman to inform the taxi to turn on his meter. They will turn it on or drive away with no fare . Rarely does that happen.

 

But the thing that amazes me is if you are in fact staying at a High End Hotel , that you are worrying about pennies in taxi fares.

 

Except in a rain storm with traffic stopped  or rush hour traffic , it is almost impossible to spend $3 US (100 baht).

 

And Christian unlike Vinapu or I being the problem for worrying about spending an extra 60 cents (17 baht) for a taxi ride, you may be the problem for being a Cheap Charlie.

 

I frequently take taxis in the middle of the day (non traffic periods) and weekends where the fare is 40- 60 baht and the Skytrain would cost 30-40 baht and not be close to either my departure point or destination.   I should worry about pennies like 20 baht?

 

I guarantee most of the time you wait for the change if the meter say 55 baht  and you hand the driver 3- 20 baht bills.

 

I can't remember who someone mentioned Chiang Mai Taxis being better. Ridiculous they don't even have meters, are considerably more expensive then BKK for a similar distance  and the worst thing of all it is impossible to find one in most places and at most times.

 

Pattaya Taxis never ever turn the meter on and their fares are atrocious.

 

All that said I occasionally get aggravated with a taxi driver but on balance they offer a better product at a better price then any other place in the world. The only place that even comes close is Vietnam where the fares are similar or a little less but the product tends to be older and smaller. Also much more likely to run into a less then honest driver.

[Guest Cedric]

Cedric  I am trying to figure out what world you are in. To compare HKG taxi fares with Bangkok is ridiculous.  I was just there a few months ago and took taxi from airport to Hotel and it cost 5x as much as a similar ride in BKK.

 

You mention the Netherlands , just more information that is incorrect. Try taking a taxi in Amsterdam and you will pay 5-10 x as much for a similar ride .  I grant you it may be a Mercedes but its $60 US Schiphol to downtown Amsterdam  less of a distance then BKK airport to downtown for $12 US..........

 

.......Cedric your post alludes to the fact that you are staying in high priced hotels , so all you do is tell the doorman to inform the taxi to turn on his meter. They will turn it on or drive away with no fare . Rarely does that happen.

 

But the thing that amazes me is if you are in fact staying at a High End Hotel , that you are worrying about pennies in taxi fares.

 

Except in a rain storm with traffic stopped  or rush hour traffic , it is almost impossible to spend $3 US .

 

 

I can't remember who someone mentioned Chiang Mai Taxis being better. Ridiculous they don't even have meters........ 

 

All that said I occasionally get aggravated with a taxi driver but on balance they offer a better product at a better price then any other place in the world.

 

 

I cannot disagree more (:

 

I mention the other countries simply because their fares are in keeping with the cost of living in those places as are Bangkoks taxis. They are cheap in Bangkok but you aren't in Amsterdam or Frankfurt or Hong Kong you're in Thailand Bangkok, they're meant to be relatively cheap. A taxi driver who tries and makes you pay Euro prices or even Hong Kong prices or Taiwan etc for a ride is ripping you off and they don't have the right to do so.

 

Its nothing other than a misguided sense of entitlment and thats what I most object to.

 

Yes they don't perhapse pull out a gun and shoot you then rob you and throw your body on the kerb like they might in Johannesburg but the sense of entitlment is basicaly identicle. Tourist rich tourist should be ripped off??!! I have no qualms about tipping handsomely for a good ride and do so without hesitation. I love seeing the smile it brings. But quite honestly if I wanted to throw my money away I could find far more worthy causes in Thailand to do so. I find taxi fares in Hong Kong cheap for Hong Kong. Do you know what people are paying for rents for road duty etc etc in this city, not to mention groceries! Nothing nothing like Bangkok at all. So why would I throw away 500baht on a fare that should cost 100baht, those are Hong Kong prices not Bangkok prices. It's the principle.

 

I have had a number of taxis pull out from my hotels without putting on the meter, they just put their thumbs over the meter and drive off without putting them on. No one is going to run after you and stop the car. Yes they always without fail write down the taxi number and name of the driver hand it to you on a card (which convieniantly on the back has directions in Thai how to get back) but who has time to follow up these idiots and make formal complaints blah fishpaste. All security 500 meters down the drive does is look under the car with a mirror if arriving or take the note handed to the driver at pick up and wave you on meter or no meter.

 

Yes it was I who said taxis in Chiang Mai were wonderful cheap and pleasant and so they are in my opinion. Having said that we only took them for three days before picking up the rental car but they were fantastic. The hotel called them when ever we needed them, they would arrive and off they would go, strange open trucks but very nice el fresco style, stopping to pick up others as we went. Cheap. No meter they just tell you what it will cost and this is fine its fixed like the MTR is or the sky train except they come to the front door when called. Not sure but these are the only taxis we took and what the hotel called when ever we orderd one. It was always waiting on time and no arguments etc etc.

 

After ten in Bangkok every taxi driver wants 500baht, doesn't matter if its raining dry or otherwise. Im tempted into thinking you rarely use Bangkok taxis, or you speak excelent Thai or look or are in fact Thai. Or you only use airport taxis, which are all metered in my experience at least.

 

Bangkok taxis are a drain and very unpleasnt in the main, there are exceptions but they don't prove the rule. I've just come back and I've been going for many years. Its just a sad fact and they are getting worse, there is every reason in the world to talk of the Taxi Mafia at this stage.

 

It makes a stay in Bangkok unpleasant. Sometimes I just dont feel like the problems and pay way over the odds for a hotel limo if Im going any distance, like to Hua Hin or wherever (hoping to one day catch a glimpse of the legendary Smiles with his boy), or 800baht for a larger mini bus style taxi for a trip.

[firecat69]

First of all I have been in BKK taxis far more then you have.  I lived in BKK for 3 years and have visited at least 100 times.To talk about 500 baht being demanded is so ridiculous that I don't even know how to comment.

 

Comparing  Chiang Mai riding in the back of a pick up truck in 100 degree heat with riding in a modern A/C taxi is equally ridiculous.

 

I wonder if you tell your Hotel they are ripping you off when they charge you 700 baht or more for a Breakfast Buffet or 200 baht for a diet coke. After all the standard of living should not allow them to do that.

 

Your arguments are ridiculous. Every fine restaurant in BKK is as expensive as HKG.  Under your arguments , it makes no sense..

 

Under your argument of what people pay for rent in HKG then please explain why your Hotels are not 5x as much as BKK. In fact they are not.  At most during similar times of demand Hotels are 1.5-2 x more expensive then BKK.

 

Guess those High End Hotels you stay at in BKK should lower their rates because they are ripping you off under your arguments.

 

Under my arguments Nice Hotels happen to be another bargain in BKK.

 

Under your argument why does Skytrain charge similar fares to HKG mass transit.  All those poor people should not have to pay  what rich HKG people pay..

 

 

You just don't know what you are talking about in regards to taxis in BKK. Because you had a couple of bad experiences , you want to condemn all the taxi drivers.

 

Basically I think you are not as well travelled as you think you are.  I just came back from 2 trips , Australia, New Zealand , Hong Kong , Copenhagen, Prague, Budapest , Cape Town , Amsterdam, Paris, London , Barcelona, Madrid , Rome Dublin etc etc etc.

 

I would have loved to find taxis as reasonable and available in any of those cities. Instead they all cost many times more, have less availability and more as you would accuse Mafia types

 

And by the way getting a taxi in HKG is much more difficult then in BKK.  First you have to find one of the designated standing places. Then you line up and wait for the taxis to stop. Sometimes the line can easily be 20 people and many empty taxis pass the spot by while you wait. Many times I waited 15 minutes or more.  In BKK it would be unusual to wait 2 minutes except if raining. Because I can hail a taxi anywhere in BKK.

 

And then the fare is a small fraction of HKG.  I'll take BKK taxis anyday compared to HKG.

[firecat69]

Cedric,

 

The other part of your argument that is Idiotic is that standard of living should have something to with prices charged.  Buying the car is at least as expensive in BKK as anywhere else in the world and maybe more.

 

The cost of petrol is the same or more then many of those countries.  So how can you possibly figure the fares charged should be relevant to the standard of living,  

 

Once again taxi fare are ridiculously low when compared to similar sized cities all over the world. Their availability is far better then any place I have been and far more available then HKG. All this when what they have to pay is basically the same as many richer cities.

 

 

They are a bargain and if you don't understand how to use them , shame on you!

[Guest Hutchison]

Cedric, your original post was seeking information about getting from the airport to your hotel. If you really are used to the Limo service, as you say, I doubt you'll want to be hauling luggage onto the Skytrain. (and probably getting a taxi at the other end to your hotel). Take the advice of more experienced people here, like Firecat, get a taxi!  You said some people have a sense of entitlement, you may be hitting closer to home than you think...

[firecat69]

Just to show how ridiculous Cedric' s assertions are I converted the cost of regulated fares in HKG and BKK.

 

Hong Kong  $3 US just to get in the taxi vs  $1 in Bangkok

 

Every mile in HKG another $1 per mile vs. 12-14 cents in Bangkok

 

Waiting time in HKG  22 cents US per minute vs. 6 cents US per minute in BKK

 

Does not take a brain surgeon to see that HKG fares are many many times more expensive in all categories

 

Five miles in HKG with 10 minutes of waiting would be  $10.20 US

 

Five miles in BKK with 10 minutes of waiting time would be $2.20 US

 

In other words HKG is 5 x as expensive .

 

The cars cost the same and the petrol costs relatively the same, yet BKK taxis are 1/5 as expensive as HKG

 

 

So if you were paying double what the meter fare would be , you would still be getting a great deal in BKK.

 

 

Taxi drivers in BKK are not perfect nor are they in HKG but value for money is far greater in BKK and there is no reason to complain about the occasional  taxi driver trying to get 500 baht from the airport to Hotel. First after paying airport 50 baht and 90 baht in tolls the driver is left with 360 baht.

 

For that he probably waited in line at the airport for at least 2 hours .  The same fare would be the equivalent  of 1600 baht in HKG.

 

Thats exactly why I offer them 400 when I climb in and most times am happy to give them 500 on arrival and watch them smile.

[Guest Cedric]

First of all I have been in BKK taxis far more then you have..........

 

I wonder if you tell your Hotel they are ripping you off when they charge you 700 baht or more for a Breakfast Buffet or 200 baht for a diet coke. After all the standard of living should not allow them to do that.

 

Your arguments........... 

 

Is it still so mentally challenging, tryingly hot that non sequiturs dribble out out like salvia from an old man on a porch, Southern style drivel? 

 

Empty bottle of hoochie mama? Sick stuck in the back of your throat? Alligator mistaking you for carrion snapping at your toes?

 

Im not resorting to insult here it does the same to everyone, Hutchison.

 

It's called dementia, when you cant even keep track of who started the thread should you be commenting at all I wonder?

 

Anyway taking firecat93's (or is firecat101) opening comment, it's perfect and sets the tone for the rest of the utter nonsense.

 

My condolences I've only been taking Bangkok taxis since I was 14. It might explain your particular little tick. Im sure a good afternoon nap will sort it all out just remember to take the old teeth out and close your mouth I've heard all sorts of horrific stories concerning flies and where they try and lay their eggs.

 

No the hotels I stay at don't own the taxis, they don't set their prices either. My breakfast buffet which I have no idea what it costs because it's included on the executive floor, free in the lounge from 7- 10:30 or downstairs blah blah....

 

The breakfast is imported almost completely, if not all the ingredients almost all the chefs are, though. I imagine there is a bit of a premium on the price there.  I always have the fresh dim sum as besides the usual boring Swiss, French and Australian chefs they also have a Thai, Chinese, Indian and a Turkish chef....all doing wonderful things with bread potatoes noodles and rice breakfast time. Its like a united nations of breakfast going on. 

 

I tend to forgo the 1800baht (excluding tip) foot massage in the hotel health centre when I can get the real thing five minutes away for 300baht (including tip). But if an off the street place tried charging me 1800baht I would tell them where to get off, and it wouldn't be pleasant. I do use the tennis coach because he is exceptionally buff and uses the gym and takes a sauna with me before and afterwards. I dont mind in the least that he charges me 3000baht per session as he is full of good sound tips. My very own surrogate penis to fondle and admire.

 

Hotels do try and extort money from guests this is perfectly true. You have to maintain a sense of proportion. It was more sensible and a fraction of the price for me to drop into the Paragon and buy packs of brand new designer undies than it was to have my own washed in the Hotel! Do I complain? Absolutely! Now they give you one free laundry per week which just about covers the smalls. Consumers have the power.

 

If the taxis were 6star affairs and that was plain to see I might think of indulging their little quirks like trying to charge first world prices. But as they're not, its simply offensive. The meter is there for a purpose. Are taxi prices too low? Then they should get them changed.

 

I often stay in cheap hotels too BTW, few bits of plank on the beach and a ripe mango does me fine when Im in the mood and right country. Would I pay Four Seasons prices.....only if I was completely out to lunch.

[vinapu]

 

 

People like you and firecat who know about the taxi mafia, but still use taxi who don't use the meter, are part of the problem.

 

 

 

I know but I have a good heart anyways

[vinapu]

 

rich tourist should be ripped off?

 

 

 

After ten in Bangkok every taxi driver wants 500baht

it's very hard to rip off penny pinching backpacker, what it  would net in such a case?

 

500 baht request  after ten is not for a ride for sure, BJ perhaps ?,

 

 I had driver picking me up from Suriwong across the soi Twilight at 1a.m.  to Om Yim but he said in no uncertain terms " 500, I go room you?"

[Guest LoveThailand]

I think taxis in BKK are very affordable compared to some other countries. I use them freely when I am in BKK.

There are two scenarios that keep me from being ripped off:

- meter on - no problem

- no meter - negotiate the fare and agree or disagree and look for another one. In this case either the fare quoted is fair or I agree for a hiked up one for personal reasons (am in a hurry or simply do not give a damn about extra few dollars at that moment)

About travel from the airport - never any problem, taking official taxi.