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Siam Man

Arriving In Bkk And Need Taxi?

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When you get out of baggage claim and customs there will be pushy people seeking you out trying to sell you that 700 baht ride to Nana. They even hire good looking women to suck you in. Don't do it. It may look quick and easy but the fact is you will fill out paperwork and they will ask you where your going. then the driver gets a piece of paper and often has no idea exactly where your going.

 

The second phase is this outdoor taxi meter que on the first floor. Here you que in a long line then pay that surcharge of 50 baht, then there is more traffic going out of airport in this area. Remember go to top level and go down to your right and look for taxi's that have just dropped people off. They will often look for a next fare instead of going around and getting in the que. They win and you win by doing this. Its all allowed. You'll always save time and money with this option.

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Slam Man,

Thanks for posting this. This is just the kind of thing thats so obvious to the seasoned LOS traveler and not to those of us on our first trip(s). I hate that feeling when you know your being ripped off but don't what your options are so you just pay it until you find someone that can set you straight. I thought I was going to go to Pattaya right away and got some good advice form Billy69 on taking the bus from the airport but have decided to stay a few days/week in BKK to find Netty and Cartoon and some others before heading off to Pattaya so this advice will come in handy.

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Great tip Slam Man.

First trip I ended paying 300+ for the legit taxi stand. Was all a bit confusing and took me a long time to work though the scalpers trying to get me into the 'limo service'.

I was outside having a smoke and some GG in tiny shorts from 100 yards away was shouting, 'hello Mister, you come on the Pattaya Bus!!'

Welcome to Thailand.....

 

Up2You.

Good luck on the Bkk mission.

Netty is well worth the trip, I posted a report on her in Pattaya LB's but no one has since posted a follow-up!! So hope you get lucky.

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Just to add that it is only 30-40 minute from airport to Nana Plaza area. This depends on traffic which will be at the Nana end of the trip. Give you a good chance to look around as you approach your final destination, before hunting that is.

Edited by Slam Man

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...by just going upstairs to departures you can easily catch a taxi that just dropped some on off... They win and you win by doing this. Its all allowed. You'll always save time and money with this option.

 

Bad news -- I was at Swampy yesterday, and they now funnel vehicles departing the Departure area through a check-point so the vehicles can be examined. I don't know what they're looking for, but it would seem to be a good way to enforce the airport taxi surcharge.

 

Although it was easy to skirt the airport surcharge in the past, it was always illegal -- even at Don Muang back in the day...

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Although it was easy to skirt the airport surcharge in the past, it was always illegal -- even at Don Muang back in the day...

I'm not versed on Thai law but I heard prostitution is illegal. You can only sell alcohal during certain hours of the day, but I see Thais selling homemade whiskies in the street. On television they cannot show cigarette smoking or have them showing behind the counters at 7/11's and the like, but then I see young children sellling them on Bangla road and basically in the outdoor bars.

 

As long as I fly into either of these airports I will utilise this alternative if Skytrain isn't viable for me. If I'm going to Pattaya I will utilise one of these services.

Mr. Sea to get me to Pattaya.

If you bargain, you pay 1000Baht.

Mr_Sea_beach@hotmail.com

08-6303-3307

 

Jimbos in the photo is 1300. Both require 24 hour notice before you arrive.

taxi.jpg

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I'm not versed on Thai law but I heard prostitution is illegal.

 

I too have heard that, but Thai law also states that a person must be over a certain age to be paid for sex, which seems to contradict that. I actually asked a Thai lawyer about the two laws, but he said he was unfamiliar with both; I think he just didn't want to discuss them...

 

 

You can only sell alcohal during certain hours of the day, but I see Thais selling homemade whiskies in the street.

 

*I* personally can not sell alcohol at all, without regard to the hour, due to my visa limitations. There is indeed a Thai law restricting the selling of alcohol at some consumer outlets (such as mini-mart and supermarket chains), but other outlets (such as cash-and-carry stores, bars and restaurants and the like, or mom-and-pop mini-marts) are not included in the restrictions. My GF had two minimarts and when I noticed her selling booze during the day, ran it past the legal group we use in Bangkok. As they'd been pretty good so far, I didn't mind following their advice.

 

 

On television they cannot show cigarette smoking or have them showing behind the counters at 7/11's and the like, but then I see young children sellling them on Bangla road and basically in the outdoor bars.

 

Although I have noticed that the mini-mart chains cover up the cigarettes, I haven't noticed many (if any) of the mom-and-pop minimarts doing so. My GFs minimarts didn't sell cigarettes, so that wasn't an issue for her.

 

But now that I think of it, I haven't seen kids in the streets (in Bangkok and Pattaya) selling cigarettes for a long, long time. They sell gum and Fisherman's Friend now. Maybe it's time for you to make another visit to check things out.

 

 

As long as I fly into either of these airports I will utilise this alternative if Skytrain isn't viable for me.

 

Good luck with that. It’ll be interesting to see what happens at the taxi checkpoint. When is your next visit again?

 

Yesterday, I had to make another trip to Swampy, and snapped the pic below with my phone as I was driving past the taxi checkpoint.

 

The photo is dark, but if one looks at it closely it’s possible to see a police motorcycle with two cops sitting in chairs, orange traffic cones making up the funnel, and a few taxis lining up to go through the checkpoint. Just to the left of the rolled up umbrella is where the taxis are inspected.

 

Next time I go to Swampy, I’ll see if I can park the car and have a walk around to get a better pic.

 

I think what you’re really getting at with your post is that sometimes the way the laws in Thailand are enforced and/or interpreted seems a little lax. And I would agree; just a quick look at Soi Cowboy and NEP only two blocks apart and located in different police districts, illustrates just how different interpretations can be… But IMO, suggesting one flaunt the law while the airport’s interests are being protected by armed officers is poor advice at least.

 

Before someone starts thinking the airport’s interest lay in the 50 THB, it’s a little more complicated than that. Once upon a time, when Don Muang was Bangkok’s only airport and before the Taxi Kiosk was put in place, unscrupulous taxi drivers would pick up passengers, drive them to a dark alley where a confederate was waiting, and this is where things would get interesting… Sometimes the poor farang would only be robbed, but far too often for TAT, a farang would end up with a slit throat only to end up with their body dumped unceremoniously at the side of the road.

 

After far too many occurrences, TAT in their slow wisdom, pronounce something must be done about it, and came up with the Taxi Kiosk system still in effect at Don Muang and now also in effect at Swampy. In a rare bit of Thai-forethought, TAT even suggested a taxi surcharge (to be passed on to the customer, of course) to pay for the extra added bureaucracy.

 

About a year or so before Swampy opened, a young Japanese female presumably got disoriented at Don Muang (or maybe she was trying to beat The Man out of 50 THB), found herself in the Arrival area, and got in a taxi. After she was raped and murdered, there was a firestorm of controversy in the Thai newspapers (not really, but Thai Rath squeezed it for what they could to titillate their readership).

 

In addition to it being a far lot more safe than it was before, another nice thing about the Taxi Kiosk system is that if one forgets something in the taxi, they have the taxi driver’s details and can call to retrieve their forgotten item. And as I know someone who left something in a taxi, I can say it really works!

 

All things considered, this probably isn’t the best advice on saving money; too much downside risk.

 

But what about telling us how to save some *real* money by taking the express bus into town!

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All things considered, this probably isn’t the best advice on saving money; too much downside risk.

 

But what about telling us how to save some *real* money by taking the express bus into town!

 

By all means please go right ahead. I'm afraid to make any suggestions now in fear of the great risk involved.

 

Here are some photos of that same departure drop off area which is crawling with Police. I hardly think they are trying to enforce a 50 baht surcharge fee. Personally I think it has something to do with the airport becoming a target of the protests like it was 14 months ago. Do you have any GOOD news! Ever?

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It may not be the most convenient, but definitely the cheapest option for going Airport to Pattaya.

 

Bangkok Airport to Pattaya By Bus

There lots of tour buses going from outside the Arrivals Terminal, but these are chartered to groups, so for the independent traveler, its necessary to go to the Ordinary Bus Terminal.

 

There is a free shuttle bus from outside the main terminal.

 

The stop is at the far end of the row of bus stops outside the convenience store, having turned left when coming out of the lower floor of the main building.

 

The free shuttle takes about 15 minutes to get to the bus station as it stops at various administrative buildings on the way.

 

The bus station is the last stop, so there’s no need to worry about getting off at the wrong stop.

 

The bus to Pattaya is at the far end of the row of bus stops, and is signposted in Thai and English.

 

The fare is around 110 Baht for the air conditioned bus and they currently have four services from 6am through to 7pm.

 

The bus number is 999 and the journey time is around 2hours.

 

Source: http://www.bangkokpicture.com/airport/topattaya.php

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Here are some photos of that same departure drop off area which is crawling with Police.

 

While your photos may be of the departure area, the photos show where private vehicles and limos drop-off – not where taxis and buses drop-off. Taxis and buses now drop-off on the *other* side of the island in your photos.

 

 

I hardly think they (the police) are trying to enforce a 50 baht surcharge fee.

 

Certainly not the police in your photos, as it seems you chose to take pictures of Tourist Police…

 

 

Do you have any GOOD news! Ever?

 

I should think the good news isn’t that one used to be able to skirt a process in place to protect us thus saving 50 THB (a whopping $1.52 USD by recent ForEx rates), but rather that Thais have done something to protect tourists visiting Thailand, and at a very reasonable price. No longer do we read in Thai Rath of tourists being picked up at the airport being robbed and having their bodies dumped by the side of the road, or of tourist paying for their ride from the airport only to have the taxi driver driving off with the tourist’s luggage still in the boot (one of my favorites).

 

Additionally, the 200 THB or so meter to Nana is one of the cheapest taxi rides from an airport to the downtown area of any major city in the world! We should all feel good about that! When’s the last time you’ve taken a black cab from Heathrow to The Savoy – ouch!!!

 

Disseminating erroneous information in an attempt to make another feel good is not my style. I believe if someone reviews a restaurant that is now closed, it’s important to mention the fact that the restaurant is closed so another doesn’t go looking for it. The same goes for Wi-Fi hotspots that don’t exist, and so on. I mean, really… How could you disagree with that?

 

Forums provide a great way to give the latest information on the scene, but it takes people on the ground to do so. Many of us have fond memories of trips past, but things change. Restaurants close. Bars close. Loopholes close. Such is life. Things change.

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Thanks Trenton, I can always count on you for a contradiction, correction, or general negativity. I would be shocked to read you complimenting someones postings, photos, or reports.

 

Going back to the airport taxi if you must, Its not about the 50 baht savings for me. That was just one of the benefits from going upstairs. Not having to wait in a que and having a choice of what Taxi I get in and who I go with was paramount. In my maiden trips to BKK I was put into pieces of junk taxi's with drivers who had no idea where I was going despite being given a piece of paper by a woman at the que. Fun times driving around Silom looking for my hotel, before finding someone who knew what I was talking about to tell the driver. I never had those problems at the departures area, as I could pick my taxi, and interview my driver about my destination and make sure it was metered ride.

 

I will continue to seek out my own ride as I'm not of the opinion that a police motorcycles in the departures area is there to curb taxi's from picking up savy arriving travellor looking to evade the airport surcharge. Since you seem to know everything, when did the tourist police start carrying guns like the ones in my photo?

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is it still okay to get taxi from departures anyone have up to date info please

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I dunno, guys. I just got back from KL today and used the Airport Link. Round trip: b140! And that's to Nana!

 

For the uninitiated, it's a new train line they opened up - b145 for the express line out of Makasan (via the MRT, I think),

but I took the Skytrain from Nana to Phayathai (b25) and used the city line connection there for only b45 more.

 

Pros:

 

Slightly uncomfortable and limited seating, but it's quick enough (30 minutes tops from the skytrain hub to the AP) and

maybe you want to stand anyway if you have a long flight ahead of you. I rode at 9am and 2 pm, and there was plenty of

room each time.

 

I enjoyed being liberated from all the taxi haggling tapdance routines. I almost always insist on a meter, but

am not averse to paying tolls and/or the b50 surcharge, depending. I took the bus once and will never do it again -

it's just not worth the time/frustration. I've eliminated all of that nonsense. For light flights, anyway.

 

No traffic! And the alternate view is refreshing. About 7 or 8 stops, but again, it's pretty quick, except for -

 

Cons:

You may have to wait up to 30 minutes for the train to arrive at point A. Chances are your wait won't be that long,

but budget the time in, to be sure.

 

If you have an early flight, you may be at the mercy of the taxis anyway. But I think it runs from 6 to midnite. Check

for yourself here: http://www.bangkokairporttrain.com/

 

No, I'm not really gonna bitch about the seating, but conversely, if you have too many bags to manage, you'll probably

be thinking taxi anyway. And as word gets out (What have I done!) it will get more crowded like the skytrain is much of the

time. Then there's that. Just book your flights accordingly, where possible.

 

 

Overall:

 

Like I said, liberating. So tired of having to hassle with the cabs and now I don't have to unless I've got a shit ton of gear.

Also cuts my transpo bill from between b700-1200 RT to less than b150 RT door to door. That's a whole lot more mongering money.

Edited by Bangcock

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is it still okay to get taxi from departures anyone have up to date info please


In a word...Yes. I was just in BKK last week and went straight up to departures area to catch a Taxi like I used too. As I crossed to the area two taxi drivers approached me offering their taxis. Plenty of others were hanging around this area looking for savy travelers. A traffic control person wearing an orange vest had NO problems with these Taxi's. I chose a nice newer model and established that it was metered and off we went.Make sure you leave airport with enough money to pay driver and the tolls. It was 205 baht to Nana and about 90 baht for two tolls. Driver brought up 50 baht airport fee, and I reminded him that he didn't pay it since he picked me up in departure area. They often float this out there hoping you might pay it.

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I don't feel I'm getting ripped of with taxi , but I hate when you flag one down and they refuse to take you ;-( also the music they listen to bad :-)

 

To the first time traveler , just go with the flow have the small notes for the tolls and be nice your not the first customer going to nana :-)

 

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is it still okay to get taxi from departures anyone have up to date info please

 

I just put this to test arriving Feb 23rd at midnight. 3 or 4 taxi's waiting at entrance to the right. sure there was more at other entrances.

 

When I left on another midnight flight I arrived early and watched taxi after taxi looking for customers after they dropped off.

 

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Traffic control and airport security have no issues with this practice.

 

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Airport staff even utilize this to help special needs customers.

 

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Thai people are onto to this. You can see that you can even wheel trolley's to this area.

 

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Typical scene of driver standing near his Taxi looking for business. Just ask them if they are metered and off you go. Expect to pay about 80 baht in tolls and 200-250 baht to Nana. It's really to easy. No waiting and you pick the car and driver to go with.

Edited by Slam Man

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Taxi fare should only be 190 TBT total after 11pm to Nana ... I took it 3 times last year and that was the max of all 3 trips.

 

Two other times I arrived during the day thus took the Airport Link - just keep going down and down in the terminal and you will see signs for City Train.

Get off at Makassan Station then walk out of the station take a right and up to the light and cross the road and grab a taxi. You are 8 min away from Nana Soi 4 ... If you grab a cab from the station they can only go left and then have to make a U-turn quite a ways down so better to get across the street.

 

Alternatively, you can take the Airport Link to Praya Thai Station at the end of the line then switch trains to head toward Bearing and get off at Nana. This way you still need to find a way to your hotel thus getting off at Makassan Station is really easier.

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Thanks Trenton, I can always count on you for a contradiction, correction, or general negativity. I would be shocked to read you complimenting someones postings, photos, or reports.

 

Going back to the airport taxi if you must, Its not about the 50 baht savings for me. That was just one of the benefits from going upstairs. Not having to wait in a que and having a choice of what Taxi I get in and who I go with was paramount. In my maiden trips to BKK I was put into pieces of junk taxi's with drivers who had no idea where I was going despite being given a piece of paper by a woman at the que. Fun times driving around Silom looking for my hotel, before finding someone who knew what I was talking about to tell the driver. I never had those problems at the departures area, as I could pick my taxi, and interview my driver about my destination and make sure it was metered ride.

 

I will continue to seek out my own ride as I'm not of the opinion that a police motorcycles in the departures area is there to curb taxi's from picking up savy arriving travellor looking to evade the airport surcharge. Since you seem to know everything, when did the tourist police start carrying guns like the ones in my photo?

 

The arrival area of the Airport is controlled by the Mafia (who work with the police, they are the same thing)

Now you could start off your holiday by potentially annoying the local mafia and police by trying to dodge any surcharges and trying to get a taxi (illegally) from the departure area, but i wouldnt recommend it.

 

Guys, if you really need to go through all this crap to save 150 bhat MAXIMUM, i strongly recommend staying at home until you can afford to come and enjoy yourself without worrying about 3 quid...

 

You post excellent pics, really i mean that, and superb reports from the perspective of someone on an extended holiday. However, be careful with your advice, you dont live here, you dont understand how things "work"

 

Savvy traveler......?

 

 

Cheers

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I like the pictures...and 200 words how to get in a taxi.....well we are reading a forum that has hundreds of thousands of words telling us principaly how to get a shag in Thailand ! The forums entertainment, the writing of a post is just as entertaining as reading.

 

However.....theres always a but....

 

Use the taxi booths for your taxi trip into Bangkok.....Its only costing 50 baht more on top of the metered price. And they are there for your SAFETY.

 

The only people who need advice on how to get a Taxi into town at Bangkok airport are newbies, those more vulnerable. The savvy traveller should tell them unequivocally to use the taxi booths outside.

 

And for newbies reading this thread, people died before that system was put in place.........Its £1.....2.5 ping pong balls. Thats all.

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I like the pictures...and 200 words how to get in a taxi.....well we are reading a forum that has hundreds of thousands of words telling us principaly how to get a shag in Thailand ! The forums entertainment, the writing of a post is just as entertaining as reading.

 

However.....theres always a but....

 

Use the taxi booths for your taxi trip into Bangkok.....Its only costing 50 baht more on top of the metered price. And they are there for your SAFETY.

 

The only people who need advice on how to get a Taxi into town at Bangkok airport are newbies, those more vulnerable. The savvy traveller should tell them unequivocally to use the taxi booths outside.

 

And for newbies reading this thread, people died before that system was put in place.........Its £1.....2.5 ping pong balls. Thats all.

 

Excellent post. Thailand can be a very unsafe place to travel. It's a 3rd world country with horrific corruption problems and a lot of very poor people looking for money from unwary falang.

 

 

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