Many tourists have fears of taking taxis in Bangkok, simply because the drivers do not want to turn on the meter or their destinations are always refused. Even though there is a law in place to make taxi drivers turn on the meter, there are still many who don’t. My advice to you is this, don’t be afraid of taking taxis in Bangkok. There are so many taxis in Bangkok. If they do not want to on the meter or do not want to take you to your destination, just get the next taxi behind. Yes, it does take a little more time and determination especially during peak hours.
But all that is about to change, with GrabTaxi! GrabTaxi is a smartphone-based taxi booking and dispatching service. To be frank, I don’t even know the taxi hotline to book taxis till now, so this GrabTaxi app is definitely extremely good for tourists because you don’t need to even communicate with the operator who might not even understand English. Plus, the biggest plus point is that all their taxis will have to turn on their meter for the trip!
With GrabTaxi, you really don’t have to waste time hailing a cab on the streets, all you have to do is just to download the GrabTaxi App to your mobile phone. They are available for Apple, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices.
After opening the app, you can select your 1) Current Location, 2) Destination and 3) Type of vehicle. Once done, just tap on Locate!
You can see the available taxis around your vicinity as well as the estimated taxi fare and distance.
Hooray! The driver accepted your booking! You can see the taxi license place as well as how far the taxi is from you. At this stage, I received a call from the driver. However, he spoke in Thai and we had difficulty communicating, so I just told him that pickup would be at the lobby of iSanook Residence.
I also like the tracking feature where I can see the taxi’s exact location and see him driving towards my location.
You can even “share-your-ride” on Facebook, Twitter, email, or SMS.
The taxi which arrived is a typical normal taxi which you see everywhere in Bangkok. The notable differences are the various GrabTaxi stickers which you can see in the cab.
So, how much does it cost? Drivers will turn on the meter once you are inside the taxi. All you have to pay is the metered fare and an additional 25 baht booking fee.
One more thing I would like to share with you!!! Are you on a holiday with friends and have big luggages that the normal 4 seater taxi can’t accommodate? I tried asking a MPV taxi for a rate to the airport, he quoted me 700 baht. Well, I thought that the price was ridiculous! So, I tried contacting GrabTaxi.
My GrabTaxi MPV Innova is here!
Look at how many big luggages this taxi can put!
Do you want to guess how much the fare was?! It was just 300 baht including the toll fee!
Update March 2017: There is now a booking fee of 150 baht for MPV taxis.
“GrabTaxi eliminates all the traffic woes that passengers are currently facing in the capital. Passengers can be assured that all GrabTaxi drivers use the meter, that they will not turn passengers down, that they will be taken to any destination within Bangkok and that they have been carefully prescreened and trained. GrabTaxi has evolved into a community consisting of like-minded drivers who believe in offering quality service and a good experience to passengers.” said Juthasree Kuvinichkul, Director and Founder of GrabTaxi (Thailand).
Thank you GrabTaxi for bringing such convenience of taking taxis to us!
