Exleftseat

My apologies if these questions are being asked
over and over. We are on our way to Bangkok
next week, arriving on NW around midnight. How
is the taxi situation? Can they be trusted? Will
they drive us around in circles? How much
should the fare be? How long should it take?
The hotel offered limo service at $ 50.00 per
person? Reasonable? Appreciate your help.

transpac

Good, yes, no, 365 baht (250 on the meter, add 50 baht for airport fee and maybe 65 baht for tolls), 40 minutes, Not sure what constitutes "reasonable"?

An AoT limo would be 800 - 1,100 baht.

The design of Bangkok's streets almost always requires driving in circles.

Exleftseat

Thanks a million for quick and in depth
reply. Flyertalk comes thru for me again.
Looking forward to a great time in BKK.

billp

I recently made almost that exact trip and it cost under 300 baht ($9.15) everything included - fare, tolls and 50 baht airport surcharge. So obviously $50 a person is way out of line. Bangkok taxis are generally fine, except sometimes the drivers don't want to turn on their meters. Insist on the meter anywhere in Bangkok.

In the airport, go down one level from Arrivals to get to the metered taxis. There are dispatch desks outside the door. You will be accosted by a lot of people asking "want taxi?" These are reps of the private limo services. Just say no. There have been reports of the official taxi dispatchers trying to get obvious newbies to agree on a flat rate of 400 or 450 baht, saying they risk the fare being higher if they use the meter. Insist on the meter, and threaten to call the tourist police.

Oh, and arriving at that late hour, you don't need the Expressway. Tell the driver "No Expressway, no highway." Save you 70 baht or so.

You don't tip taxi drivers, except for rounding up the fare. For instance if it's 293 you give him 300 (if it's 303 he might only ask for 300). If the driver was especially helpful you might give him 20 baht extra. Please don't give 50 or 100 baht tips to any service workers. 20 baht is the usual tip, and it will be gratefully received.

The NWA kid

Well said. A man who knows his stuff. My same experience. A 20B tip to/from the airport will be plenty. None would be okay. Insist on the meter always and don't back down.

MegatopLover

If you do take the expressway, there should be no need to drive around in circles (and if it happens, you'll know you're being taken for a ride) because the Silom Road exit from the expressway deposits you, with one quick left turn, right at the Holiday Inn Silom. Couldn't be any easier. I would take the expressway to 1) be assured you're not being taken for a ride, 2) avoid traffic lights and traffic, and 3) generally get there faster. In my book, saving 70 baht in fare (while running the risk of a lot of waiting time in traffic driving up the fare) and 65 baht in tolls isn't worth the hassle. We're talking about less than $4.

Remember, a cab from LaGuardia to Midtown Manhattan costs at least $25 plus $3 in tolls (or $4, whatever) plus tip. Compare Bangkok cabs to almost any city in the world, even Singapore, and they're an absolute bargain.

OTOH, when I do take a cab from BKK, I always go up to the Departure levels and snag one there to 1) save the 50 baht airport fee, 2) avoid the taxi queue, and 3) feel like a native Thai. So I can be just as cheap as the next guy, I suppose. YMMV.

billp

What I mean is, after midnight you simply don't need the expressway. It's almost always clear sailing (right below the elevated expressway), gets you there just as fast, and you save a little bit of money. The only place you might possibly run into any hold-up after midnight is on Silom itself, and you're going to get that whether or not you take the tollway.

opushomes

Note: My wife has been to BKK a number of times, but only once by herself. This was that trip

This April, my wife arrived in BKK from SGN. She went to the taxi stand downstairs and received her chit, loaded the baggage, and drove off. She noted the meter was not on, pointed this out to the driver who told her to read the receipt. It said 400 baht flat fee. She paid the tolls and paid 400 baht to the Holiday Inn, Silom. She got ripped off because she didn't demand the use of the meter despite being normally being very good in respect to this petty thievery.

Beware!

Soju

Absolutely correct. I do just as you say all the time. Even during the day if it's not rush-hour I'll sometimes do that if I'm not in a rush. Most infrequent travelers just blindly tell the cab driver to use the expressway, regardless of what time it is / how light the traffic is, and don't realize that they're saving little to no time.

billp

Please, do us all a favour. If this happens to you, and you have a mobile phone, call the Tourist Police at 1155. This is NOT how the system is supposed to be working.

MegatopLover

There is one other reason why this frequent traveler insists on the expressway, even when arriving on KE 653 around midnight, when there is little traffic: Mr. Megatop is a complete disaster at directions, and we would guaranteed get lost on the surface streets and wind up in Klong Tooey, even if the surface road runs right underneath the highway.

In his defense, Mr. Megatop has the luxury of relying on yours truly a lot of the time for directions, and I suppose I'm at fault for not having committed all of Bangkok's major arteries to memory. I need to buy a good map and do that.

transpac

Correct if taking the stage 2 expressway from north to south, which is not necessarily the route a taxi driver would take, from the airport, as it is a bit out of the way. If approaching the Silom/Sathorn area from the south then get ready for a circle or two.

And returning to the airport, get ready for a circle or two.

I always take the expressway everywhere, every time, regardless of time of day. Once bitten, twice shy. Ten minute lights (even at 01:00), traffic stoppage for VIP traffic, road closures for accidents and construction all are to be expected. Of course if you know where you are going, and are very comfortable with the potential traffic situations then of course use your own judgment. BTW, the default option is to not use the express/toll-ways, that is to say, you need to specifically request the tollway.

I sometimes opt for a flat or fixed fee (dearth of taxis, challenging destination, shift-change, rain, etc.), and negotiate who will pay the tolls, with the resulting fee paid +/- 5% of what the metered fare might be.

Personally I wouldn't waste the mobile phone charges (and time & frustration) to contact the tourist police for a 100 baht overcharge on a taxi fare, but if it makes you feel better then go for it.

billp

The best map I've found is Nelles Bangkok and Greater Bangkok. You can buy it at Asia Books or here at Amazon.com.

But in any case I don't think you need to be afraid of Bangkok taxis taking a roundabout route if they're not on the expressway. Just by telling them you don't want the expressway you're implying you know your way around. And the way they make most of their money is by lots of 35-baht flag falls, not spending an extra half hour making 50 baht, so they have an interest in getting you to your destination quickly and picking up another fare as soon as they can.

billp

Personally I WOULD do it just because it riles me that obviously some sort of mafia-like con game is now being played on a system that was originally set up to guarantee a fair deal for the arriving traveller. OK, it's only 100 baht, but how many baht are they sticking in their pockets when they do this to 5000 people a day? Or even 1000? Do the dispatchers split the take with the drivers? Or make the drivers pay an extra fee for the "service?"

peteropny

Occasionally there are some routes in Bangkok that require driving around in circles - I'm speaking from experience with my grandfather's driver (and not a cab).