This is the easiest mode of Transportation in Bangkok. It doesn’t work well in rush hours when a local train would be a better choice.

Taxis in Bangkok are air conditioned and come in different colors like Yellow-Green, Orange or even Pink. They will have a hood on the top saying “TAXI METER”. The meter shows the figures in Thai Baht straight away. It starts with 35 Baht (for the first 2 Km) and that is the minimum you will have to pay. However, the increment over 35 Baht is not that fast (5 Baht per Km after 2 Kms) and so it becomes a viable choice for long distances.

If the taxi is vacant, it would be having a “red light bulb” glowing on its left hand side. If its off, it means that it has been occupied by some passenger.

Whenever a Taxi has to pass through a “Express Way” or a “Toll Bridge”, the passenger has to pay it. Normally it comes to around 40 Baht.

The taxis are reliable and don’t charge more than what they have to. However, it’s a normal practice not to return the small change. (Ex: if you fare comes to THB 185 and you have given them THB 200, then your THB 15 may not come back to you). As such, it is advisable to keep change but there is nothing much to worry as such an amount will rarely be more than THB 15-20.

Sometimes the taxi drivers would be looking affectionately towards their female passengers and would try to talk to them smilingly. Sometimes this scares people who are not used to the Thai ways. After all, this place is not called the Land of Smiles for nothing.

Possible Issues:-

Although your Taxi experience will be quite good in all probability, keep yourself mentally prepared for some hiccups you which may face.

Sometimes, a Taxi may not agree to go by the METER especially during the night time then you may have to negotiate or wait for the one which agrees to go by METER. Of course, there is a limit to how long you can wait. For negotiating, it would be worthwhile if you learn a little Thai language.

Although Bangkok is relatively safe and looks awake throughout the night, going out alone past midnight may not be such a nice idea.

Try to catch a Taxi not from those standing outside your hotel but those running on the street. This will reduce the likelihood of being in those taxis which try to charge extra for tourists.

The most critical issue which the foreigners face in Thailand is that of Language. English is relatively less understood here especially when you compare it with India. But, let’s face it. Thailand has never been a colony and so they are not well versed in any foreign language much.
So, if you go to a taxi and ask him to take you to some place, chances are that he won’t understand. In such a case, you should be prepared with the following:

• Address and / or Map of your destination in Thai Language - You may ask your hotel reception / help desk to do the job for you. They will be able to help you.
• Always take your hotel address card when you go out to some place so that you can show it to the Taxi Driver while you come back. For Example – “Sheraton” may not be understood by your driver till the time you pronounce it as “Cheraton”.
• The taxi driver will have a phone which he would be able to lend to you. (Mostly, the drivers would be generous). Make a call to your hotel and ask the receptionist to explain the location to the driver. Don’t forget to tip 15-20 Baht more to the driver when you get down. It may help to note that a phone is called “THORASAP” in the Thai language.
• While opening a Taxi door, make sure that no motorbike is coming towards you. It so happens that a passenger opens taxi door and it motorbike hits it with great speed. In such a case, the passenger would be held responsible for any accident whatsoever. Be careful so as to avoid this situation.