[Montien]

Hi guys wondered if anyone knows a reliable taxi for pick up from the airport. when i am going to pattaya i usually email my contacts there and all is arranged. This trip i am only going to bkk and wondered if anyone had a contact rather than trying to get a taxi meter. oh and yes i do want to use the express way and will be going to nana.

cheers.

This post has been edited by Montien: 25 March 2010 - 11:04 AM

[rowyco]

If you're just going from the airport to the Nana area, I really don't see any reason not to use the metered taxi from the airport. Just make sure you get it from the taxi stand and not the people that walk up to you just as you come out of customs. Also, make sure the guy will use the meter. Every once in a while I get a guy that wants to do a set price. Of course, its always way more than it would be using the meter.

You'll also have to pay for the tolls. Just give him the money as you get to each toll. If I remember correctly, the tolls are 45 baht and 25 baht. Feel free to correct me, if I'm off on the toll prices.

[khagai]

rowyco, on 24 March 2010 - 05:25 PM, said:

If you're just going from the airport to the Nana area, I really don't see any reason not to use the metered taxi from the airport. Just make sure you get it from the taxi stand and not the people that walk up to you just as you come out of customs. Also, make sure the guy will use the meter. Every once in a while I get a guy that wants to do a set price. Of course, its always way more than it would be using the meter.

You'll also have to pay for the tolls. Just give him the money as you get to each toll. If I remember correctly, the tolls are 45 baht and 25 baht. Feel free to correct me, if I'm off on the toll prices.

Yes to all above, as you walk out of customs you will be inundated by people coming up to you saying "taxi", these are NOT taxis but unlicensed limo companies and they are much more expensive. If, for any reason, you want to take a limo, go to the TAT desk (Tourist Authority of Thailand desk) inside where you get your bags, they are the only truly licensed limo company, and are on par price-wise with the other unlicensed limo companies, but at least you can fully trust them. Anyway, back to the taxis. Look for the sign on floor 2 which says taxi stand, and follow it. This is where you get a metered taxi. You stand in line (maybe) and go to a desk first, the lady will ask where you are going, and will give you a sheet of paper and assign a driver to you (they are in a queue waiting for their turn). The rest of the info above is correct, except there is an additional 50 baht surcharge on the total metered price for the airport, so if the meter says 200 baht, you really owe the driver 250. If you go on the tollway, you will be expected to hand the money to the driver at each toll stop (the tolls are not added to the total price). If you don't have small change, the toll booth can make change so don't worry about it. If you are on business you can ask the driver for a receipt at each tollboth as well. Metered price to Nana is roughly 200+ baht, plus the 50 cent surcharge, plus the tollway charge, plus tip (obviously up to you), so with the meter/surcharge/tollway, you are up around or over 300 baht already--so, you might hear a fixed charge of 400 baht. This probably OK as long as all the charges are included (this includes a good tip as well). But, if you go fixed charge make sure the toll booth, and airport charge are part of the fixed charge.

I also use a personal driver often because when I come I have a ton of luggage, sometimes a large golf carrier as well, and my driver has a minivan instead of a toyota corolla (99% of the taxis) so plenty of room for the luggage and much more leg room in the back seat. This is really handy during the rainy season as sometimes my bags are too large for the corolla trunks as many of them have the gas converters back there limiting the size of the trunk). I can insure than none of my stuff gets wet. He wants a bit more, but he also goes tomy GF's apartment first and picks her up late at night, and she is a little skittish traveling alone with an unknown person late at night.

[urleft]

If you don't have much lugguge just go to the top floor of departures, walk across street and grab a taxi just dropping someone off. You will get a dirty look from security, but ignore it. It is a cheap charlie way, but I use it more because I do not care to wait in the taxi line.

[Montien]

thanks guys.

during my recent stay in April i used both methods. The taxi desk on arrival and when getting caught up in all the delays due to volcanic ash i used the taxi drivers on the arrivals floor to get me back into Bangkok on a daily basis. yes it saves you a couple of baht for for me it was easy to go to arrivals see if i could get a flight home then if not just walk out the door on the same level and return to the city.

[makaaa3]

Just a warning about some metered taxis as I've been caught twice with taxis which had dodgy meters. The first one involved the driver using a switch on the right hand side of the steering wheel located on the dash.

I was looking at the meter and it was clicking over really fast then it slowed down. After this I paid close attention to the meter and noticed that everytime the meter clicked over quicker the driver was fiddling with some kind of switch on the dash and evey time he saw me looking he would stop. I told him the meter was going too fast and asked him why he was touching the switch, he pretended to not understand me and the smart ass still tried to use it every now and then. By this stage I had had enough so I told him I knew what he was doing and I was going to report him, I then recited his taxi number and name, gave him the fare and got out of the taxi whilst it was stopped in traffic. The driver was a real smart ass and probably only 20 something, every now and then you get into a cab with these young guys and you get the feeling that they really resent Falangs and will if possible try and rip you off.

The next time was when I was travelling with friends and we needed to catch 2 taxis from the airport to the hotel in Sukhumvit. We got 2 taxis and one followed the other. It was Sunday so there wasn't much traffic on the freeway so I sat back enjoying the view. Still on the freeway and past the first toll I looked at the meter which showed just over 300B. I knew that was too much unless the fares had gone up so I started to look at the meter more often and by the time we had just got off the Freeway and onto Sukhumvit Rd the meter showed over 400B. I wasn't that worried because I was going to go over to the second taxi once we got to the hotel and look at his meter to compare fares. However, whilst I wasn't looking the guy turned off the meter and when I asked what happened he said it was broken. I didn't want to argue in the Taxi as I was tired from the trip and I wanted to get to the hotel.

When we got to the hotel I jumped out and went over to the second taxi to see their meter only showing 300B, so I went back to our driver and said I'll pay him 300B. Once we had all our bags I told him that his meter was dodgy and I don't like being ripped off and that I'm going to get the hotel staff to report him. He just pretended he didn't understand and left us pretty quick.

[sfstudmuffin]

Taxi price from the Airport to Nana should cost about 300 baht plys 2 tolls of 25 and 45

[lamegeek]

On question of taking Taxi from Airport, what would be the best and least confusing way to give direction to the Hotel I am staying at?

On both Travelocity itinerary of hotel information, and at agoda.com, the address of Hotel is written in English and I can't seem to find it written in Thai anywhere.

Question is, how fluent are most official taxi driver at front of airport in English? would every driver know the hotel address if I give them the printout which has the address in English?

Or would it be best if I print out the map from google map which has some of the streets in Thai and give the driver the map instead?

Appreciate any tip on this.

[mondero]

just give the area and the soi. eg. Sukhumvit soi 15. If you say "soi one-five" he will understand

This post has been edited by mondero: 30 April 2011 - 09:25 AM

[Mission]

lamegeek, on 30 April 2011 - 01:14 AM, said:

On question of taking Taxi from Airport, what would be the best and least confusing way to give direction to the Hotel I am staying at?

On both Travelocity itinerary of hotel information, and at agoda.com, the address of Hotel is written in English and I can't seem to find it written in Thai anywhere.

Does the hotel have their own website? If so it is very likely that the address will also be in Thai.
Otherwise you could always print out the address in English then go to the airport information desk and politely ask them to write the important part of the address in Thai for you.
However, most taxi drivers at the airport understand enough English to get you where you want to go.

[lamegeek]

Mission, on 30 April 2011 - 01:35 PM, said:

Does the hotel have their own website? If so it is very likely that the address will also be in Thai.
Otherwise you could always print out the address in English then go to the airport information desk and politely ask them to write the important part of the address in Thai for you.
However, most taxi drivers at the airport understand enough English to get you where you want to go.

The Hotel's website was also in English. There was tab for Japanese version for some reason, but none for Thai.

But it is good idea about information desk, I think I will ask at the desk to write it down for me just in case. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Mission]

lamegeek, on 01 May 2011 - 01:39 AM, said:

The Hotel's website was also in English. There was tab for Japanese version for some reason, but none for Thai.

But it is good idea about information desk, I think I will ask at the desk to write it down for me just in case. Thank you for the suggestion.

PM me the hotel name if you like and I can translate it into Thai and send it back to you.