These days, nearly all taxis have a meter and are well looked after. Each taxi company has their own colour scheme. Yellow/green and red/blue are popular but you can also see orange and green taxis. All cost the same. Meters start at 35 baht and remain that for 2 kms. After that, it costs about 5 baht per kilometer. If the taxi driver refuses to turn on the meter then just get out. You can spot vacant taxis from a distance as they have a red light in the front windscreen. If there are 3 or 4 of you, then it can turn out cheaper to go by meter taxi compared to the sky train or Metro. The divers are nearly always friendly and will try to strike up a conversation with you. If you want to practice your Thai or help the driver with his English then sit in the front. On the left-hand side of the windscreen, you will see his photo and name in Thai. Nearly always, you will see that the drivers come from the poor region of Isaan in the north-east of Thailand. It is always a good idea to have some change available as the driver might pretend not to have any. However, whenever we take taxis we usually round-up the fares and tell the driver to keep the change. It is much appreciated.

Fare Rates

0-2 kilometre - 35 baht
2-12 kilometre - 4.5 baht per km
12-20 kilometre - 5 baht per km
over 20 kilometre - 5.5 baht per km

If the taxis is stuck in a traffic jam and cannot move faster then 6 kph, there is an extra charge of 1.25 baht per minute.