Cost of taxi from Airport

New to Thailand forum and I guess this may have been asked previously...

We are arriving from Sing into Bkk around midnight and are looking to get taxi to hotel - staying at Viengtai Hotel. What should we expect to pay, where are ';legitimate'; taxis located at the airport and will taxi drivers know where to go if I give them name/address of hotel (it%26#39;s located near Kho Sanh Rd area) We don%26#39;t want to get ripped and understand there is a fast way or a slow way - is this correct?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Rech

Cost of taxi from Airport

Hi Rech,

There is a designated taxi stand at the BKK airport.

When you exit the Customs/Immigration area into the main terminal.. Walk directly out the door (Level One) and look for the taxi stand. Bypass all the touts who will try to sell you taxi service at inflated rates. You%26#39;ll see people queuing up for the taxis. As you make your way up to the stand.. the folks at the stand will ask where you%26#39;re headed. You tell them and they%26#39;ll assign a taxi to you. Taxi service is metered from the airport to the city. Rate automatically begins at 35 baht. Total cost should run average of 400-450 baht.. You%26#39;ll be given a ticket for the taxi. Part of the ticket goes to the driver and you keep part.. in case you have any problems..

Some drivers know where to go.. some don%26#39;t. Would help if you had a map of the hotel%26#39;s location for just in case..

Returning to the airport by taxi is another matter. Many taxi drivers will definitely try either not using the meter or overcharge you.. Make sure driver will turn on meter, or have a set price before loading your bags and entering cab..

Slowrunr

Cost of taxi from Airport

On top of the taxi fare, there is a 50 baht airport surcharge which is not shown on the meter, plus expressway tolls of 65 baht.

When you walk out of Arrivals, look for the blue sign saying ';Public Taxi.';

Generally taxis don%26#39;t take a roundabout way to run up the meter, because they make their easiest money on the flag drops. The couple of baht extra they might make are negated by the extra fuel costs.

i find it easier to print the map that most hotels have on their website to show where it is.

Because sometimes the taxi drivers dont understand your pronounciation,

For example last time i stayed at Le Fenix, and he didnt understand me when I told him , then when I showed him the map he said, ';ahhh..... Peenix, I know it well';.

I stayed at Viengtai years ago. ...This is before the new airport was finished. I lined up in cue outside the old airport. Just like the post above suggests above. As my turn came up... (A Westerner that ran the taxi booth told me the price. (If you say you don%26#39;t know where you are going, they will tell you the amount.) Anyway I was told 350 Baht plus 2 tolls.

I was very green at the time. I wanted to use a metered taxi instead of haggling before getting in. The driver drove around and around to bring the amount up. I had to pay 500 Baht. But I didn%26#39;t mind. Hey... it%26#39;s a learning experience for all of us.

I paid too much at that time. It would be very close to that amount now.

*It might be more helpful for you to check the reviews for Viengtai Hotel... someone will probably include the amount to and from the newer airport.

Regards!

Thanks for all your responses, greatly appreciated.

Now we have a good idea of what the go is.

Cheers,

Rech :)

Hi,

Prepare to pay bout 280 for the taxi fare excluding tol of 65. be ware some drivers (like mine) request for a flat rate. My taxi driver wanted 450 from me but i insist to go by the meter. anyway, gave him a 50B tips. Khao san is a very good area. Even if u%26#39;re to reach late, Khaosan rd are still bz till 1am. Enjoy...

If you are tired like I was you will invariably pay the ridiculous 700 baht the driver will quote you- bear in mind that it is a long ride and you will constantly be converting currency in your head- me and my boyfriend got in from a long flight and were tired and sick, and though ';seven hundred is only a tenner, can I really be bothered haggling three pounds off this?';.

The airport to hotel taxi was the only one that I couldn%26#39;t be bothered finiding a meter with.

There should be no ';quoting'; or haggling over fares. Use the public taxi queue. The fare is metered only. You;ll get a slip of paper given to you by the attendant, Keep it as it tells you who to call if there is any problem.

I agree with dragonc: don%26#39;t even discuss the fare in advance. The fare is what%26#39;s on the meter (around 220 baht) plus 50 baht airport surcharge, plus tolls of 70 baht IF you use the expressway (not necessary late at night or very early morning).

And I wouldn%26#39;t give a driver one satang in tip if he tried to pull a flat rate on me.