Taxis From Suvannabhumi

[dixon cox]

(dixon cox @ Nov. 22 2008,15:33) In the queue downstairs you get given what you're given and there are some shitty wrecks doing the rounds down there and I don't like pot-luck for a two hour cab journey. That's the only reason I avoid that queue and go to the departures drop-off, not to save BHT50  

Just to add to what I said above, to put it into context...

Imagine walking into Casanova's, commiting to payment, then having a ticket handed to you...
... Then this pig ugly 6"2' wreck of an LB strolls over and you've got two hours with her, BF and ST money already commited + BHT50 tip   

[daveduke007]

love your username

[69billy]

(daveduke007 @ Nov. 23 2008,02:00)  love your username    

Never mine his name....This guy payed 2200by from airport to BKK.. I wonder how he made his money...
But with a name like Alibaba its easy to guess..

[Road Runner]

(alibaba @ Nov. 22 2008,17:06) So the first I saw after Customs was a Taxi sign. I asked for Taxi and paid 2200 THB to Bangkok Silom Road.

AOT have to be the biggest bunch of con artists I have ever seen in any airport in the world - and I've seen a few.

Even the touts outside are not cheeky enough to demand more than 1000 and usually they ask less.
You should be able to get to Silom for about 600 Baht with all tolls and tip included. That's still a 25-30% profit.

The standard fare to Silom should be less than 400 Baht with tolls and 50 Baht airport charge included. Say 450 with a fat tip.

The biggest improvement that TAT could make would be to clear all of these taxi crooks out of the airport tomorrow - as far as I'm concerned they are a blot on the tourist industry for the whole of Thailand.

RR.

[EyeMahk]

From: http://www.thaizer.com/arrival/bangkok-airport-guide/
---
Once you€™ve cleared immigration, collected your baggage and walked through customs, you go through the doors that lead into the arrivals hall. This is where you will almost certainly be asked if you want a taxi. The people doing the asking will be smartly dressed and carry official looking badges. They are representatives of limousine companies who will charge you a higher fare than normal to get you to your hotel. Once you ask one for a price, you will usually attract the attention of numerous others. If you want to catch the normal public taxi, ignore all of these apparently helpful individuals and head for the official public taxi rank located outside on Level 2 (by entrance door number 4).
---

I will add to this that even in the car, if the driver smells a newbie, he might quote a price.  Just say "meter highway".  Getting in the front seat of the taxi will usually show the driver you know how to take a Bangkok taxi.

-

[dixon cox]

(EyeMahk @ Nov. 23 2008,23:09) Getting in the front seat of the taxi will usually show the driver you know how to take a Bangkok taxi.

I always sit in the back so I get a good view of the me-turr

[DutchCowboy]

(Rocket J. Squirrel @ Nov. 09 2008,13:19) Just read this on the Sawadee site:

According to the Suvannabhumi Transportation Guidelines, only flat-fare limousine services will be allowed to operate directly from the airport terminal. Passengers will have to take a shuttle bus to the bus terminal 3 km away in order to use ordinary metered taxi services.  (In the meantime a taxi meter stand has been installed on Level 1)

In the past ('06 and '07) I just had to go downstairs to pick up a taxi at the taxi stand after waiting on a short line.

Is this saying something different?  How do I get a "normal" cab when I land?

Useful

[rxpharm]

Sawadee site is over a year out of date - public metered taxis are available from arrivals level as discussed in previous posts.

Just don't get lured by the taxi touts and pay through the nose. A public meter taxi should get you to Sukhumvit area for around 350 Baht.

[thaibound]

(dixon cox @ Nov. 23 2008,17:33)

(EyeMahk @ Nov. 23 2008,23:09) Getting in the front seat of the taxi will usually show the driver you know how to take a Bangkok taxi.

I always sit in the back so I get a good view of the me-turr  

i've taken more than a few taxis in bkk and this is the first i've heard about proving you're experienced by getting into the front seat. what am i missing here?
of course, if the front seat has a working seat belt -- something almost impossible to find in any back seat i've occupied -- i'd go for it every time.

not that i feel the least bit unsafe speeding unsecured through bangkok traffic

[SamplerDoc]

(thaibound @ Nov. 27 2008,04:25)

(dixon cox @ Nov. 23 2008,17:33)

(EyeMahk @ Nov. 23 2008,23:09) Getting in the front seat of the taxi will usually show the driver you know how to take a Bangkok taxi.

I always sit in the back so I get a good view of the me-turr  

i've taken more than a few taxis in bkk and this is the first i've heard about proving you're experienced by getting into the front seat.  what am i missing here?

Nothing

[joseph1]

there is a stand just at one of the exits on the international level. They charged 300 bath to bangkok for years, it is now 350 bath. This is about at cheap as you can get, they also pay the tolls at this price. Every time I go down to domestic and get a metered cab, it is still around 300 by the time you pay the tolls.

[bigmick22]

On Thaivisa - originally from Bangkok Post - Illegal Taxis and Guides Arrested at Suvharnibumi

I must admit that arrivals hall in Suvharnibumi last week was very quiet. Of course, the official touts of AOT were still there but it was pleasant not to be swarmed

I like the line that says "AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said earlier the gangs which ran the illegal operations had indicated to him in a phone call that they would flood back in once the crackdown lost steam."

AIRPORT BATTLES BACK: A special security team at Suvarnabhumi
claims it has arrested 1,155 illegal drivers and tour guides in a month
but admits it has a long way to go to clean up a "serious" situation
plaguing the airport.

SUVARNABHuMI: -- A special security team at Suvarnabhumi airport has arrested 750 unlicensed taxi and limousine drivers and 405 illegal tour guides in the space of just one month, officials say.

The security team, made up of police, airport security guards and land transport officials, began a crackdown on illegal activities at the airport on July 31 after a flood of complaints from tourists. Airport director Niran Thiranartsin yesterday said illegal taxis were initially targetted, but tour guides operating without permission were included from Aug 9.

Despite the huge number of arrests, a Bangkok Post investigative report on Sunday showed many more illegal operators were continuing to plague the airport.

Mr Niran said the situation remained serious despite the initial success of the security team in tackling the problem.

Illegal operators still needed to be targetted and "we have to keep on seriously enforcing the security measures", he said.

Any leniency now would only cause a setback to Airports of Thailand Plc's renewed attempt to clean up the airport by weeding out illegal operators and corrupt officials.

AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said earlier the gangs which ran the illegal operations had indicated to him in a phone call that they would flood back in once the crackdown lost steam.

The maximum fine that could be imposed on the illegal operators was 1,000 baht. Mr Niran said many of those arrested were repeat offenders and it was necessary to produce factual information to increase the penalties against them.

Besides the special security team, assigned to patrol the airport around the clock, a new airport unit has been set up to deal directly with illegal taxis and tour guides and to support the team's work, Mr Niran said.

The airport was also installing 50 more security cameras in the arrivals hall and in front of the passenger area on the second floor, he said.

But one area where it was difficult to conduct surveillance was around the baggage carousel where porters with clearance passes who work for the airlines could approach passengers to help them with their luggage.

Mr Niran said many of the porters were like "outsourced" workers for the gangs and it was difficult to expose them.

The AoT has been forced to tighten its security measures at the trouble-plagued airport as the gangs had almost free rein there for three years.

However, an AoT source said despite tougher measures, including the planned transfer of staff suspected of being involved in the illegal operations, the gangs would not be easily contained.

"These gangs still do their business as usual," he said.

The AoT needed more cooperation from airport staff at the operating level. But many were found to lack morale and appeared uninterested in the problem because it was supposed to be the responsibility of the special security team, he said.

[Snick]

Just went thru the airport a few days ago, and saw NO touts. I hope it last, it was almost like being in a horror movie where you keep expecting them to pop out of the shadows but they never do.

[Ivor Biggun]

They'll be back by the end of the month when its time for the AOT exec's Tea Money!

[iwtf]

i'm travelling straight to pattaya when i arrive, whats the best way to get a taxi? i've read before about MR T CAR SERVICE, can you book this online in advance , let me know, thanks