Bangkok/Chiang Mai advice

[Olddaddy]

So I let her carry my 2 big suitcases !

I watched as she wheeled one in front & one behind her 🧳🧳

At least she was good enough to let me put my carry bag on top of the suitcase in front of her 

I got a bit angry with her though....taking a long time to get up the travelator to the carpark ...with the 2 suitcases 🧳🧳

"Could you hurry up ! I shouted 

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

 

A young Thai girl  ,she offered to carry my luggage 🧳 

shame on you if you accepted

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

 

I got a bit angry with her though....taking a long time to get up the travelator to the carpark ...with the 2 suitcases 🧳🧳

"Could you hurry up ! I shouted 

You did not , you only brave here

[Keithambrose]

12 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

So I let her carry my 2 big suitcases !

I watched as she wheeled one in front & one behind her 🧳🧳

At least she was good enough to let me put my carry bag on top of the suitcase in front of her 

I got a bit angry with her though....taking a long time to get up the travelator to the carpark ...with the 2 suitcases 🧳🧳

"Could you hurry up ! I shouted 

Part of the fantasy world.

[Min]

19 hours ago, floridarob said:

Lady drivers?

Yes. They have been reliable. Never had any problems with them.

12 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

So I let her carry my 2 big suitcases !

while I was struggling to carry all my own personalities, who kept giving me contradictory instructions "Please, help the poor girl!" "No way, it's her job!"

[kram987]

On 8/17/2025 at 1:47 PM, gumbleby said:

Any recent experiences using Bolt from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)?

A few years ago I used Bolt a few times to go from BKK to Pattaya, but I gave up on them. Too many scams and difficulties finding the car (it wasn't always clear what level, many times the car has a different license plate than the app, and sometimes the driver claimed they couldn't find you, so you can't complain to Bolt if they insist on extra payment, and I got a bad rep with Bolt. Similar problems Pattaya to BKK. I had better experiences via Agoda, or booking from the stall in Jomtien Complex.

last year tried Bolt from the airport app said one level, driver left from 2 levels up before I made it, happened twice more in the end I 

[Olddaddy]

If I'm in Bangkok I always take a bolt to the airport works out cheaper than the hotel taxi booking 

But of I'm going to Pattaya I now always make sure I book a driver ahead 

I used Agoda last time and the guy  was waiting , paid by card before on the website so didn't need to change money 

 

 

[vinapu]

33 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

If I'm in Bangkok I always take a bolt to the airport works out cheaper than the hotel taxi booking 

 

middle way is to do what I do - hail taxi on the street, works 11 times out of 10

[orson]

On 8/23/2025 at 8:47 PM, vinapu said:

middle way is to do what I do - hail taxi on the street, works 11 times out of 10

I always get asked for a fixed price which is higher than what a typical meter be.

[vinapu]

On 8/26/2025 at 12:15 PM, orson said:

I always get asked for a fixed price which is higher than what a typical meter be.

I have better luck and I'd say 2 times out of 5 they use meter right away. If they quote too high I politely say " no " and wait for another taxi which takes 37 seconds per average. But it need to be said in Bangkok I use taxi to and from airport only  when train is not running  I.e. between midnight and 6 am.

[gerefan]

10 hours ago, vinapu said:

I'd say 2 times out of 5 they use meter right away. 

So you are saying that 3 out of 5 (that is 60%) of all taxis do not use the meter…and are trying to get extra money from you.

That figures as I have had to refuse many taxis in Thailand and Hanoi for the same reason.

You cannot trust a taxi driver anywhere. 

[mauRICE]

Perhaps the moderators could split this thread into two: Bangkok/public transportation and Chiang Mai? I was going to write a short review of the Chiang Mai gay venues I visited last February but I find the back-and-forth on Bangkok transportation muddies the thread a little.

[tm_nyc]

15 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

I was going to write a short review of the Chiang Mai gay venues I visited last February

I would definitely be interested in your report.  Maybe you should start a new thread?

[jimmie50]

52 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

I was going to write a short review of the Chiang Mai gay venues I visited last February

Yes, please do share your experiences.  Would love to hear since I will be visiting Chiang Mai in late October/early November.  

[PeterRS]

10 hours ago, gerefan said:

You cannot trust a taxi driver anywhere. 

My beef with taxis is only very occasionally being quoted a fixed price rather than taking the meter, a price that is normally 3 times what the meter would charge. I just walk away.

My main beef about Bangkok taxis is something that I notice now more than ever before. My main supermarket is less than 1 km from my home and at the bottom of a main soi. My sub-soi is half way up that main soi and the meter charge is almost always only Bt. 37 so I give the drivers 40.  I am losing count of the number of empty taxis going up the main soi pasing me by without even stopping to check where I am going. Almost every time I would be giving them an fare which otherwise they will not have. 

I have found this also on Ploenchit even outside rush hours. Empty taxis not stopping when waved at. Some taxis now have an "on call" sign on top and hopefully more will get them. But to sail past without even checking the destination is now far too common.

[vinapu]

14 hours ago, gerefan said:

So you are saying that 3 out of 5 (that is 60%) of all taxis do not use the meter right away.... 

No, not all taxis. I meant taxis hailed on street I depth of the night and asked to go to the airport. 

In opposite direction I took taxi only twice and don't recall any problems,  the same with  taxi stopped on the street. Perhaps one in 12 refuse or tries not  to use meter which really is minor problem considering abundance of those. Of course I'm not talking about those taxis waiting at curb  past midnight at Silom and Patpong. 

[vinapu]

12 hours ago, tm_nyc said:

I would definitely be interested in your report.  Maybe you should start a new thread?

+1

 

[floridarob]

13 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Empty taxis not stopping when waved at. Some taxis now have an "on call" sign on top and hopefully more will get them. But to sail past without even checking the destination is now far too common.

Maybe some of them are going to a customer from an app or private call, going to eat, home, bathroom, friends of Moses or Riobard and have you on ignore.... ??

From Google:

 

Reasons for Not Stopping:

• Avoiding Scams:

  Some drivers may be looking to avoid legitimate fares and might pass you by if they don't want to use the meter or are trying to lure you into a less desirable situation. 

   
• Already Hired:

  A driver may be on their way to pick up a passenger who has already booked them, which means they are unavailable. 

   
• Traffic and Schedule:

  Traffic in Bangkok is unpredictable, and drivers are often concerned about maintaining their schedules and arriving on time, especially for their next pre-booked fare. 

   
• Communication Issues:

  Many taxi drivers in Bangkok speak limited English, making it difficult for you to communicate your destination or for them to understand your request. 

   
• Cultural Factors:

  A "sabai-sabai" (relaxed) attitude in Thai culture, which sometimes translates to a less strict adherence to rules or expectations from others, can play a role. 

[PeterRS]

10 hours ago, floridarob said:

Maybe some of them are going to a customer from an app or private call, going to eat, home, bathroom, friends of Moses or Riobard and have you on ignore.... ??

From Google:

 

Reasons for Not Stopping:

• Avoiding Scams:

  Some drivers may be looking to avoid legitimate fares and might pass you by if they don't want to use the meter or are trying to lure you into a less desirable situation. 

   
• Already Hired:

  A driver may be on their way to pick up a passenger who has already booked them, which means they are unavailable. 

   
• Traffic and Schedule:

  Traffic in Bangkok is unpredictable, and drivers are often concerned about maintaining their schedules and arriving on time, especially for their next pre-booked fare. 

   
• Communication Issues:

  Many taxi drivers in Bangkok speak limited English, making it difficult for you to communicate your destination or for them to understand your request. 

   
• Cultural Factors:

  A "sabai-sabai" (relaxed) attitude in Thai culture, which sometimes translates to a less strict adherence to rules or expectations from others, can play a role. 

All those reasons are in themselves perhaps understandable. However - 

1. As far as my own location in a Bangkok residential district is concerned, not to stop for a prospective passenger laden with supermarket shopping bags is hardly going to be a "scam".

2. Already hired is a valid excuse, and the use of more "In Use" illuminated signs will help that. Again, though, there are with respect not enough people hiring taxis in my area - almost everyone has cars!

3. I know only too well from decades in Hong Kong that many taxis drivers are on shifts and have to return to a point of origin at a certain time to hand the taxi over to other drivers. Try getting a taxi in Hong Kong between 4pm and 5pm. Good luck! But to suggest that six empty taxis all passing by at 2:00 pm in the afternoon is stretching that argument too far, the more so when the 7th gladly stops!

4. I have never once had an issue with communication. I know my address in Thai and how to get there by the quickest route. I have seen quite a number of tourists, especially those from the sub-continent, trying unsuccessfully to communicate with a driver. When a driver winds won the passenger window to find out where I am going, I have found at least 90% know exactly where it is without my explaining.

5. The "culture" factor certainly could be a factor, especially with drivers not born in Bangkok. But I do not accept this as a valid argument when six empty taxis simply pass me by. As I said in my original post, the stuation is getting worse.

[floridarob]

33 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

As I said in my original post, the stuation is getting worse.

As apps have become more predominant, so would that problem.... you left out the friends possibility, or we just going with they have no friends😝

[PeterRS]

49 minutes ago, floridarob said:

As apps have become more predominant, so would that problem.... you left out the friends possibility, or we just going with they have no friends😝

I don't really understand that comment. You mean they might be going to visit friends or pick up friends? Of course that could be a possibility - but six taxis all going to pick up friends at the same time? No way. 

I realise that taxi drivers particularly in Bangkok want long rides. They have to make money. If they stop, wind down the window, find out where you are going and then say "no", I kind of understand. Simply not stopping is frankly unacceptable. It is also illegal. Each taxi used to have a complaints number pasted to the back of the front passenger seat and, assuming you actually get inside, they can be reported to the relevant taxi authority. Even if you don't get inside, as long as you are quick off the mark, you can take a photo of the licence plate, one of your watch to denote time and one of the area. That can also be reported. I can't imagine many will be bothered with that route, unless stuck in a monsoon storm. 

I do accept that fares are low! But when taxi fares last went up, that came with a warning from the relevant authority that taxi drivers had to realise they are providing a public service and not stopping or not taking a passenger where they want to go could find the driver facing a penalty. As I have stated, the situation has actually got worse. Although it probably doesn't concern readers of this board so much, it certainly affects residents and tourists from countries where English is rarely spoken. 

[floridarob]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

I don't really understand that comment. You mean they might be going to visit friends

 

12 hours ago, floridarob said:

friends of Moses or Riobard and have you on ignore.... ??

I'll draw a diagram next time 😂

[PeterRS]

12 minutes ago, floridarob said:

friends of Moses or Riobard and have you on ignore.... ??

If taxis are going to all those in Bangkok who have me on ignore, I'd better just get a motorcy or walk! Either that or get @Olddaddy to give me a piggyback. 😃

[floridarob]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

or get @Olddaddy to give me a piggyback. 😃

So I guess you're going to let him stay at your place after all.... just be careful of the balcony and your neighbors.

[ChristianPFC]

On 8/29/2025 at 4:01 AM, PeterRS said:

I am losing count of the number of empty taxis going up the main soi pasing me by without even stopping to check where I am going.

That happened to me as well, but only rarely. I can only assume that they have a booking for customer on an app and are on their way to pick up the customer. Some of them wave their hand at me, indicating that they are not going to stop to take me as a customer. 

In general, taking taxis works well for me and I rarely have issues.