The Tuk Tuk drivers seem unscrupulous in the extreme, trying everything to squeeze you out of extra Baht!
We were warned that they often offer 'sightseeing tours' or just plain try to drive you to businesses where they can get commission even if you've already agreed a route! These are all either expensive scams at worst or a waste of your time at best!
Still, to ride a Tuk Tuk is a quintessential Bangkok experience so make sure you agree on a route and a price beforehand and arm yourself with a streetmap - the moment he deviates from that route, be prepared to raise merry hell!
Tuk tuks are only useful for short trips partly to avoid the lead poisoning you receive on longer trips and Taxi become cheaper over the longer haul because of their meters...
As for taxis...
On the most part they're fine as they are metered by distance. Out of the numerous taxis we used, only one gave us hassles and that was the one to the airport!
Our Hotel (The Royal) was guilty of being complicit in allowing a taxi agent in its foyer to charge twice the price for the airport (400B as opposed to 200B!). Naturally I don't like being ripped off and so got a cab outside, to which the driver said that would cost 400B upfront and I said it wouldn't.
We demanded the meter be turned on, which he did grudgingly and what followed was a tense and ill-tempered battle of wills between myself and the taxi driver beginning with him starting to drive in completely the opposite direction down backstreets forcing me to hastily grab my streetmap!
Luckily it was only a minute or two before he came upon a landmark I recognised and I had to command him at every turn in an unfamiliar city at night time to reach the airport over 20kms away to the north!
We made it in 45 mins despite his repeated attempts to go the wrong way and the fare came in at a respectable 211B, saving me the equivalent of £3...
Was it worth all the aggro? Maybe not - but it was the principle of the thing and I will not be knowingly cheated out of my money!!!
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on Feb 1, 2003
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