Taxis at airport

[Renaissance]

When the new sky train link between Bangkok and the airport starts, it is going to have a noticeable impact on the taxi business at the airport, and the Airports Authority of Thailand officials who organize the Taxi Mafia on the Ground Level will be seriously affected. It therefore remains to be seen whether they will erect a sign outside the Arrivals Hall stating where arriving passengers can catch the train service. I think that they will erect it after the Mafia Taxi Funnel.

The Mafia Taxi Funnel was created at a time when a lot of people were using the taxis on the Departures Level (4th Floor) to avoid paying the 50 Baht "service fee" on the Ground Level, which allowed them to queue up and take a taxi whose meter often did not seem to be working at the time. (How very odd!) I mean, a lot of people! It was sometimes difficult to get a taxi on the 4th Floor. The AOT officials were probably in danger of not being able to keep up the payments on their 700 Series BMWs or whatever, so they created a Taxi Funnel to try to force arriving passengers to go out of the door leading to the taxi mafia.

For quite a few months after the airport opened you could leave the Arrivals Hall and go almost straight into a lift taking you to the Departures Level, but nowadays, there is a long line of barriers preventing you from getting in a lift for about 80-100 metres.

When you eventually get past the barriers, you end up putting your trolley on the escalators as the queue at the lift is probably too long, and at least you are moving upwards. Yes, you can walk back to the lifts at the barriers, but by now you are at the escalators, so people put their trolleys on the escalators.

It is at this point that you are likely to be approached by the people who will sell you to a taxi driver on the 4th Floor for an inflated non-meter fee. They are a pest, but you can eventually get rid of them before getting outside. Sometimes they are waiting outside, so if none of them has approached you before you leave the building, you may still be lucky enough to meet one of them outside.

The taxi drivers don't need them anyway as they can just pay 20 Baht to the guards to let them park until a passenger comes. The AAOT officials don't like them to park because it creates a competing line of taxis for their Taxi Mafia, but park, they do, because the guards want their continuous stream of 20 Baht. In practice the taxis don't have to wait long because many Thais and local foreigners take the trouble to go up to the 4th Floor to avoid the Taxi Mafia.

Many foreigners will think, "It's only US$1.50. Who cares?" This is not the point. If there were a need to charge to have staff issue a queue ticket, 10 Baht would cover all the costs more than adequately. But they charge 5 times this per passenger so you can see that people's pockets are being filled, and this must amount to a small fortune EVERY DAY. It would be nice to think that the money is being used to improve the airport's facilities, but dream on! Have you ever seen an extra toilet being built?

It's such a silly and corrupt system, but then the AAOT officials and their Taxi Mafia are more important than the passengers after all.

[ochaye]

Taxis at the BKK airport are easy and fast,sometimes too bloody fast, anyhoo, go down to the ground floor to gate 3 or 4,and they have Public Taxi Stand,the desks move from gate 3 to 4 so look for Public Taxi Stand signs when you come out of customs. On arrival at Taxi Stand tell the lady where you wish to go and she will hand you a ticket which will be handed off to the taxi driver,tell the taxi driver "meter","meter", and "highway","highway" krup, this means you will be taken on the motorway/freeway, where the toll will be paid by you,hand the taxidriver the cash,first one is 45bht and second one is 25bht.- On arrival at your hotel you will pay the meter price PLUS 50bht for airport tax,meter should be around 300bht and often just less than that,depends on traffic. All in all this should cost about 300bht,plus 50bht,plus 45bht,plus25nht, =420bht unless you add a tip. -- easy and simple.

[GerBo]

Everyone is waiting for the airport trainlink. When this system works, we can say bye bye to many corrupt taxi drivers. Thanks to (also) corrupt Mr. T. he allows that so many taxi's can operate in Bangkok. They are so terrible and dangerous in driving, that u almost can wait for accidents. Even with passengers inside they drive like hell. Count on a normal day how many taxi's are driving on the road, wow... reduce of only 40% of them will for sure solve the louzy trafficjams every day.

But why the airport trainlink still not work is also a big questionmark. Well ofcourse we know all that there is also a hidden corrupt agenda involved, because which owner don't want to earn his money back as soon it can operate? Louzy stories as that Siemens can't deliver this and that are fairy tails. We can only hope that it will operate soon, so I can personally say bye bye taxi... never again!

[thaifarang]

Hmmmmm, so many ideas & critics... As mentioned by 90%, yes it is always advised to go to 4th floor and catch a taxi than putting your buks to AOT mafia pockets...

But hey, what about the arrogant taxi drivers who ask for the place you want to go and refuse? Imagine this happening 4-5 times back to back and you feel like walking to Bangkok with your luggages... ha ha ha

I always get the taxi from Rama 4 to the airport which is maximum THB 220.00 + THB 70.00 for the toll. Never paid morethan this. But one time I was in a hurry, so had to take a taxi from ground floor which cost me THB 750.00. I'm never gonna do that again...

[Phuket Stan]

I have been using taxis at both airports for over 20 years and never ever have had a problem....all it needs like in most countries is a little common sense and more importantly some manners towards the driver...if taxi is going to fast just say "cha cha" = go slow please...helps to have a english-thai dictionary with you so u can relate to the driver....but then a lot of people expect that when visiting another country that the people should speak english english or german german etc etc ....thats where the common sense part comes in

[rus-thai]

I agree with thaifaran who wrote:
" I always get the taxi from Rama 4 to the airport which is maximum THB 220.00 + THB 70.00 for the toll. Never paid morethan this. But one time I was in a hurry, so had to take a taxi from ground floor which cost me THB 750.00. I'm never gonna do that again..."

I had the same experience. Usually I travel to Mochit May (North-East bus terminal). Normal price near 400 baht with tall way. One time I took a taxi from ground floor and it cost me 600 Baht! Now I am using departure level to take a taxi.

[gwats]

I agree with thaifaran who wrote:
" I always get the taxi from Rama 4 to the airport which is maximum THB 220.00 + THB 70.00 for the toll. Never paid morethan this. But one time I was in a hurry, so had to take a taxi from ground floor which cost me THB 750.00. I'm never gonna do that again..."

I had the same experience. Usually I travel to Mochit May (North-East bus terminal). Normal price near 400 baht with tall way. One time I took a taxi from ground floor and it cost me 600 Baht! Now I am using departure level to take a taxi.

I avoid these guys altogether by hiring a car before I go to Thailand. Mr. ////// and his staff always meet my flight on time, and always have a clean, late model Honda or Toyota with cold A/C working. I'll keep in mind what advice has been given here if I ever plan to stay in Bangkok. I usually head straight for Pattaya.