Transportation

Getting around – Rides

Published by on January 25, 2024

Taking a car will get you exactly where you want to go, without having to walk everywhere in the sweltering heat. Bangkok has plenty of options to choose from, whether it be a private car, a motorbike, or the infamous tuk-tuk. If you don’t have a car, you may find yourself having to rely on taxi service, and getting rides can be a daunting experience if you’re not familiar with all of your options.

Let’s take a look at all the ride options you can take in Bangkok!

Types of Rides

There are three main vehicle types in Bangkok available for private transportation:

  • Car – taxi or rental (or even a friend!)
  • Motorbike – taxi or rental
  • Tuk-tuk – taxi

We’ll go through all the options for each type!

Car

Cars are the most common vehicle type used in Bangkok. As a result, the roads of Bangkok are permanently jammed with traffic at all hours of the day. In fact, Bangkok is the world’s most congested city! Taking a car is probably your best bet for long distances, or if you have a lot of luggage to handle.

In Thailand, cars drive on the left side of the road, and the driver’s seat is on the right-hand side of the car.

Pros

  • Comfortable seats, air-conditioned to deal with the heat and pollution
  • Long mileage, with ability to rideshare
  • Space to store luggage
  • Plenty of roads and routes to choose from

Cons

  • Traffic often makes car travel slow and frustrating
  • If renting, parking can be difficult to find, especially for spaces with limited parking
  • Some routes require additional toll fees

Taxi

Regular taxis are easy to recognize by their distinct bright colors and signs. They are a common method of travel since you can easily get one off the street. To call for a taxi, stick out your hand and wave towards the driver, and they will stop to pick you up. You’ll need to tell the driver exactly where you’re going. If it’s a well-known destination, they’ll take you there without much fuss, but if both of you are unfamiliar, you will need to show them on a map or give them directions.

Normal fare rates start at a minimum of 35 baht for small taxis and 40 baht for 7-seated taxis for the first kilometer. After the first kilometer, the meter will charge 6.50 to 10.50 baht/kilometer depending on the distance travelled, and charge 3 baht per minute if the car moves slower than 6km/hr. Fares do not include tolls, if applicable! The driver will inform you of any tolls you may have to pay.

You can pay with either cash or QR/bank transfer.

This fare rate has been in effect since 13 January 2023.

Grab

If you’re Southeast Asian, you might already be familiar with the Grab superapp. Grab is a convenient way to call for drivers and taxis while searching for your destination in advance to avoid any confusion. You can pay with either cash, credit card, or Grab wallet if you have one. They also run regular promotions, especially for tourists, so you can get discounts on your rides. Compared to regular taxis, the fares are about 15% more expensive, not accounting for traffic.

Examples of fares if I were to ride from my condo to work, around 1.8 km…

It’s recommended to take JustGrab if you’re not too picky about the car you get, and it’s usually the cheapest option. Some drawbacks would be that it can take a while for the driver to get to you, depending on the traffic. Also depending on the traffic, fares may increase.

You can also call for a regular taxi through Grab, with an additional booking fee of 20 baht, along with the minimum fare

If you want to avoid having to wait, and you know you’ll need to take a car somewhere, you can also book a car in advance.

You can even rent a chauffeur!

Bolt

Bolt is the European ride-hailing competitor to Grab. The same rules apply for Bolt, but it can often be slower to get a ride on Bolt. However, Bolt does not adjust fares as strongly as Grab based on traffic or time, and fares tend to be cheaper. This can be an option if you’re okay with waiting a bit longer for better fares.

There’s plenty of options to choose from!

Alternatives

There are plenty of other alternative ride-hailing apps to choose from, if you don’t feel like using Grab or Bolt.

inDrive

inDrive is a ride-hailing app that is more focused on other provinces than Grab, but they do offer cheaper services than Grab in Bangkok.

LINE MAN

LINE MAN is Naver LINE’s answer to the super app, and they offer affordable taxi rides through the LINE MAN app.

Robinhood

Robinhood is the newer kid on the block, and they promise great fares and convenient rides.

Motorbike

Motorbikes are everywhere in Bangkok, swerving through hordes of cars and whizzing through traffic. Motorbike taxis are a unique mode of transportation in Bangkok that is fast, convenient, and easy to get. It’s recommended to take motorbikes for short distances, and only if you’re travelling alone with minimal baggage.

Pros

  • Conveniently located motorbike taxi stands
  • Fast, can move through traffic quickly
  • Low fares

Cons

  • Unable to travel with luggage
  • Rides are not as comfortable, since you’re sitting on the back of the motorcycle
  • Exposed to pollution
  • Potentially dangerous

Win

A motorbike taxi stand

In Thailand, motorbike taxis are also called “win (วิน)”. You can find them at the front of sois and alleys, or intermittently along major roads. There will usually be a few to a dozen drivers waiting for passengers at these stands. If there aren’t any, they’re most likely out on a job, so you can wait for them to return.

Prices will usually be listed on a sign for common destinations from that stand. If your destination is not listed on the sign, you can also ask the driver. Usually, the fare is agreed upon before the ride. Cash is preferred, but it is also possible to pay by bank transfer. For distances below two kilometers, it is illegal to charge above 30 baht. For distances over five kilometers, you can bargain for the price.

Example of a fare sign

Grab and Bolt

As usual, it’s also possible to call for a motorbike taxi through Grab or Bolt. For Grab, you can choose to take the “GrabBike” option. For Bolt, you can choose the “Bike” option. The perks of using these apps is fares can be cheaper, but they can also be more expensive depending on the situation. You can also pay by card through the app instead of having to carry around cash!

Tuk-tuk

Tuk-tuks are an iconic mode of transportation, a unique, extravagantly colored three-wheeled rickshaw that allows you to take in the sights and sounds of the city with a roof over your head. If you’re in Bangkok, you have to try the tuk-tuk!

Pros

  • Fun and unique method of transportation
  • Eco-friendly, with electric tuk-tuks becoming more popular
  • Many seats

Cons

  • Can be expensive
  • Not very practical

You can usually find tuk-tuk stands at major tourist attractions, since they are geared more towards tourists than the average Thai. Sometimes, there will be a fare list for common destinations, but oftentimes there won’t be. Instead, the driver will suggest a fare.

Be careful! Tuk-tuks are infamous for ripping off tourists, especially Westerners. They’re not a particularly practical mode of transportation, but drivers have a tendency to throw out ridiculous prices. Fight for a fair price! You can reference taxi fares if you know them.

MuvMi

MuvMi is a ridesharing app dedicated to electric tuk-tuks. If you feel like taking a tuk-tuk, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of haggling a fair fare, you can use the app to get the same experience without having to deal with any of the nonsense. Most of MuvMi’s tuk-tuks are new, so they are clean and comfortable.

Since it’s a ridesharing app, you may have to share the tuk-tuk with multiple other passengers. You can select the number of passengers riding with you, or you can also choose to book the whole tuk-tuk if you want.

Rental

If you really feel like it, you can choose to rent a car or a motorbike. Google Maps is your friend. I can’t give much guidance on renting a car in Bangkok since I’ve never had to, so try to look for local renting options through Google!

If you haven’t already, check out this guide on trains in Bangkok!