Bpai kon diao tam mai bpai mai dai? gua lor? Mai dtong gua! Gu yak bpai! Yaak bpai kor rib bpai... tae waa bpai mai dai loei!
yoo Krunthep pak yoo tii ngai krap?
Bangkok Taxis 101
1) You can save Bht50 by taking taxi from Departure Hall driveway but have to fast else traffic controllers will chase taxi away. Poot thai mai dai? No problem, mai mee bpen haa, take out address suitably printed in Thai to show driver.
2) Driver not want turn on meter? Easy... get out and flag another. Somchai not want take your fare? Mai bpen rai Bangkok many taxis want your business.
3) Not take taxi or tuk tuk outside hotel or tourist attractions. They will rip you off! Shopping? Seafood? Massage?
4) RCA from 2am to 3am taxis all flat rate, Bht300, irregardless how near or far in Bangkok. Unless u stay like Thongburi then he probably quote you Bht1,000. So pay up or else order a bowl of post-clubbing kway teow from the many roadside stalls. By the time u finish the drivers would have reverted back to using their meters. Strange but only in RCA u get this. Not at Thonglor, Sukhumvit or Rachada clubbing areas.
5) Rule number 4 also applies to taxis flagged down between 5:30pm to 8pm at Pratunam area. 99% will refuse to use the meter even if u r Thai.
6) Learn to pronounce destinations the Thai way. Central World is "
Sen-turn Wurr", Siam Square is just "
See-yum".
7) Offering a flat rate to the airport, say Bht300 to Bht400, may not be a good deal. Once this driver drove me all the way via the small roads! He wanted to save on tolls so can earn more luckily traffic light and made it on time. That time
poot thai mai dai so learn to speak a bit of Thai helps....
Go = bpai
Expressway = dtang duan or toe waay (toll way)
Taxi meter = mee-ter
Traffic jam = rot dtit
Open = bpert
Go to XXXXXX = Pii bpai XXXXXX krap
Go by expressway = Pii bpai dtang duan krap (usually toll fees borne by you)
Turn on or use the meter = Pii bpert mee-ter krap
Always polite to use "Pii" (senior) to address the driver (even if he looks younger or the same age as u) and end requests with "krap". We will never speak or sound like locals but u can act as if this is not your first time in Bangkok. A lot of people can speak Thai but forget the correct way of speaking it. Helps to lessen the chance of u being literally being taken for a ride.