Bangkok taxi meters, and the airport rank done right

By law, Bangkok taxis must run the meter, and a metered ride across the city is genuinely cheap. The common problem is a driver, often parked outside a mall, market or tourist sight, who refuses to switch it on and instead quotes a flat fare that runs two to four times the metered price. This is not dangerous, it is just overpaying. The clean response is to open the door, say meter, and if he declines, close it and wave down the next cab, of which there are always many.

The other well-worn trick is the tuk-tuk that offers a suspiciously cheap tour, then steers you to a gem shop or tailor where the driver earns a commission and you lose an afternoon. Enjoy a tuk-tuk for a short, fun hop with the price agreed first, but treat any unusually cheap all-day offer as the setup it usually is. For getting somewhere specific, a metered taxi or an app is both cheaper and simpler.

Grab is the dominant ride app in Thailand and the one to have. It shows a fixed price up front, so the meter question never comes up, and it can book both cars and licensed taxis. Bolt also operates in Bangkok and is often a little cheaper, so many travelers keep both and compare. If you have used Grab elsewhere in Southeast Asia, it is the same app and login.

Using an app is the single easiest way to avoid every meter argument, because the fare is agreed before the driver arrives and the route is tracked on your phone. It is especially worth it late at night, from nightlife areas, or any time your Thai is not up to negotiating. Cash is still widely accepted in the apps, and you can also link a card.

Suvarnabhumi is where the sharpest trick lives. As you come through, people will approach you offering a taxi or limousine, sometimes waving a printed sheet of flat fares. Those drivers are not the official rank, and the printed price lists are exactly what the airport warns against, so walk past them and go down to Level 1.

1. Go down to Level 1 and find the public-taxi machines and counter, between Gate 4 and Gate 7.
2. Take a ticket from the machine, which gives you a bay number and the driver's details.
3. Go to the numbered bay and take that car. Insist the meter is running from the start.
4. Expect to pay the metered fare plus a 50 baht airport surcharge plus any expressway tolls, which you pay as you go.
5. Cheaper still, take the Airport Rail Link train into the city, then a short taxi or app ride to your hotel.

Metered city fares are low, and the fixed prices in Grab or Bolt are usually only a little higher for the convenience. In a street taxi, carry small baht notes, because drivers often cannot break a large bill, and watch that the meter is on from the start. The 50 baht airport surcharge and any expressway tolls are legitimate additions on an airport run, so those are not the scam; a refusal to use the meter at all is.

Tipping is not expected, though rounding the fare up to the nearest 10 or 20 baht is common and appreciated. Don Mueang, the budget-airline airport, works the same way, with its own public-taxi counter, so apply the same rule there. For the wider money picture, including cash versus card, see the Thailand money guide.

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