Taxis From Suvannabhumi

[Rocket J. Squirrel]

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?

[marshal]

Downstairs was still in operation 3 weeks ago, so give it a try! answer i know, but thailand works in mysterious ways and i'm sure the taxis will still be there.

[kahuna]

Correcto...there is still a public taxi stand...just follow the signs...

Cost is meter plus 60 baht plus tolls as I recall...Just make certain the driver turns the meter on...

[PigDogg]

Was still there a couple of weeks ago.  The taxi official said the meter to Pattaya would be approx 1300 baht.

I was meeting a friend and had lots of time to kill so was talking to touts and drivers trying to find a good price. Since I had no luggage and my friend had not yet arrived I was in a much different bargaining position than the weary traveller with loads of luggage that cannot be left unattended.

The best price I found was 900 but I didn't like the driver and it looked like he was by a crappy car that may or not have been his.

I liked a female tout named Pat and arranged for 1000 baht to Pattaya including tolls.  I confirmed this price with he driver as we got into the car.

The car and driver were both great.  He drove slow as requested.  I gave him 1150 and he seemed happy.

If one is arriving at a time the Bell bus operates I still like that option best. 150 baht and you get delivered to the door of your hotel.

[Snick]

I think that notice is very old, that was the original policy when the airport opened and everyone screamed bloody murder (which is one reason why the taxi situation is still messed up).

1) You can pick up a taxi at the lower level, this is the 'legit' place to go, there is a line for taxis. Sometimes they try a 400 Baht flat fee scam, don't accept that just say METER
2) Go up to departure level and try and get a taxi that just dropped someone off.

[jadeite]

Good info Snick, just to clarify for newbies

1) Insist on the meter or get the next cab everywhere, not just the airport. This isn't about being cheap, but about not rewarding the con artists preying on the unknowing. You are always welcome to tip the driver as much as you want on top of the meter.

2) Going to the departure level saves the 50 baht airport surcharge. Up there, worst case situation is an official may try to turn you away and at the curb the sharpest elbows get the cab. I avoid this potential hassle, using it only as a fallback in the case the legit queue is long.

For Pattaya, the other option is the Ekkamai bus station is walkable from the sky train station of the same name and gets you an air conditioned bus to Pattaya for 120 baht and they leave every hour, though not late at night.

They are working on a high speed rail link between the airport and Bangkok metro. Once that is operating things will be faster than ever, though suspect it is a few years out.

[Stewart]

I think that notice is very old, that was the original policy when the airport opened

Correct. There are now big signs for 'public taxi' as you come out from immigration into arrivals hall. When the airport first opened, the 'public taxi' signs were hand written on A4 paper and sellotapes to a concrete pillar somewhere behind the 200 taxi touts!!

Meter + 50 baht + tolls (70 or 75 baht, can't remember)

[johnlbx]

Yes, the official location for taxis departing the airport is now on the Arrival level outside door number 3.
You walk to the little stand they have setup and specify your destination. For Bangkok they'll tell you, as the poster above said, meter plus tolls plus 50 baht airport fee. For Pattaya they'll give you a fixed price (1300 to 1400 baht depending on their mood) and tell you that price includes tolls (your driver may try to extract the tolls from you along the way, just tell him that that is included in the price).

[TTChang]

At the taxi stand you get handed a slip of paper with the car regn & driver details.  Hang on to it - it is a complaint form if he refuses to use the meter, so provides some marginal bit of leverage.   One driver tried (unsuccessfully) to get me to hand mine over to him.  A scam thwarted maybe.

Returned from Chiang Mai today. Took taxi home (about halfway to Sukhumvit).  When the driver saw my destination, groaned loudly ... that he had been waiting for customer 'Three hours ... for what?' Then proceeded to sigh loudly every 5 minutes on the journey to my home.  Not a good way to solicit tips!

[Guest]

Go upstairs to departurtes and grab a taxi dropping someone else off , never any waiting , and up to you whether u pay the extra 50 baht so called airport surcharge .

However if you going into central BKK then 50 baht would be about a regular tip for a metre taxi anyways so it all works out in the end  

[Guest]

Just arrived, as I came through arrivals a sign said meter taxis door 10 which was opposite. Collected slip of paper from desk outside after telling them my destination. Paper was handed to driver and I was given another slip of paper. Got in cab meter switched on , asked if I wanted expressway. Paid 2 tolls on way 25 baht and 45 baht. Arrived Nana 20 mins later , fare on meter 275 baht plus 50 baht airport surcharge .Gave him 400 so total inc tip 475 baht

[alibaba]

When I arrived last time in September it was the 1.time for me to arrive at the new AP. So the first I saw after Customs was a Taxi sign. I asked for Taxi and paid 2200 THB to Bangkok Silom Road. It was an AOT Limo (BMW 730 Li). In Mid Dec I don`t want to pay this again. I hope I can get an Meter Taxi outside at Arrival Hall.

[dixon cox]

(monkeyman @ Nov. 09 2008,14:45) Go upstairs to departurtes and grab a taxi dropping someone else off , never any waiting ,  and up to you whether u pay the extra 50 baht so called airport surcharge .

Also it's worth noting, if you do this YOU get to choose your ride

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  

[newatthis]

Dixon
You make a good point about getting to chose your cab when you go up to the departure level. The last 2 trips to Pattaya I was in with old cabs from the stand, including one where I couldn't push the front seat back. Of course I didn't realize this until we were under way and it was a bit cramped. I vowed to always check the cab ahead of time from now on.....
Cheers

[SamplerDoc]

All good info above but it may also be helpful to search using the search button in red above for several past threads about this topic.  Cheers