Phoning for a cab

[backtofront]

I need to get to the airport from Sutthisan by five in the morning. What chances of flagging down a taxi on Ratchadapisek? Have found these numbers for the taxi companies. But do they work if one politely asks for a cab, in English, at that time of day?

 

1545
1661
1681
02 880 0888 
02 911 5772
02 878 9000

 

[The manic]

Book one.

[smokie36]

Grab or Uber.

[lopburi3]

There should not be any problem flagging a taxi at that hour.  The only time it becomes an issue on main roads is rush hours - and even then seldom more than 10 minute waits.

[tonray]

32 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

There should not be any problem flagging a taxi at that hour.  The only time it becomes an issue on main roads is rush hours - and even then seldom more than 10 minute waits.

Yeah...I used to flag a taxi without issue from Ratchada Road when I lived in Suttishan when I used to leave 4:00 am for Visa Runs...always available

[jackdd]

I also don't think it will be a problem to get a taxi at this time

it's usually much better to use the "grab taxi" app instead of calling one of these numbers

[backtofront]

12 hours ago, The manic said:

Book one.

How reliable are they? Which one? Was thinking of trying Grab if I get stuck.

[The manic]

5 hours ago, backtofront said:

How reliable are they? Which one? Was thinking of trying Grab if I get stuck.

I used Uber today. V good. You can track their approach, communicate by phone egg but booked taxis in general are reliable here in my experience. 

[Just Weird]

For airport trips I always book All Thai Taxis, ultra-reliable, and never late, but you pay B100 booking fee for the assured convenience, B50 more than normal booked taxis(?) Very much worth it for peace of mind, though.

 

02 018 9799.  Their automatic answering service is in Thai but press 2 as the menu starts gets you the booking personnel who speak English.

Edited January 9, 2018 by Just Weird

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Just Weird said:

B100 booking fee

That is more than most taxi fares - would hope they would be reliable.  

[Just Weird]

Just now, lopburi3 said:

That is more than most taxi fares - would hope they would be reliable.  

Not to the airport, it isn't. If you book on one of the other taxi numbers in the OP you pay B50 extra.  You also know that there is no chance of a trip to the airport in a stinky, battered piece of crap that can turn up at your door with apps.

[lopburi3]

8 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Not to the airport, it isn't. If you book on one of the other taxi numbers in the OP you pay B50 extra.  You also know that there is no chance of a trip to the airport in a stinky, battered piece of crap that can turn up at your door with apps.

You did not say 100 baht only applied to airport trips however (an extra 60 baht over their normal 40 baht fee?) - if it is for all trips it is extremely high.  As for a normal taxi have been using for 45 years and see no reason to change - most are actually in quite good shape.

[Just Weird]

Just now, lopburi3 said:

You did not say 100 baht only applied to airport trips however (an extra 60 baht over their normal 40 baht fee?) - if it is for all trips it is extremely high.  As for a normal taxi have been using for 45 years and see no reason to change - most are actually in quite good shape.

You're right, I didn't say that, and I didn't say that because the booking fee applies to all trips.  It is not "extremely" high; if you book a taxi by phone you're charged B50 extra anyway.

 

If you book by phone, or from an app, you will not know what sort of taxi will be coming for you, there are a lot of old taxis on the road that are not pleasant to be in.  You know exactly what to expect, and what will turn up at your door, with ATT.

 

 

[lopburi3]

There website clearly states the fee is 40 baht for phone or app.  So something in wrong somewhere.

 

[richard_smith237]

IF you have a smart phone you can use a number of reliable Apps to book a Taxi to the Airport. 

1) UBER

2) Grab

3) All Thai Taxi

 

With UBER you can select 'UBER Flash' (which means you 'may' get a regular taxi or any other type of UBER willing to take you) or if you don't wish to have a regular taxi you can select 'UBER X' (regular car) or 'UBER Black' (something a little better such as a camry).

 

With Grab you can select 'Just Grab' (which means you 'may' get the nearest taxi or any other type of Grab Car willing to take you. Or if you don't wish to have a regular taxi you can select 'Grab Car'.

 

Estimated prices are quoted for both Apps. 

 

All are reliable, far more so than attempting to call a taxi via phone if you can't speak Thai.

 

I'm not sure why anyone who has a smart phone would want to use the phone booking anymore. 

 

[backtofront]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

For airport trips I always book All Thai Taxis, ultra-reliable, and never late, but you pay B100 booking fee for the assured convenience, B50 more than normal booked taxis(?) Very much worth it for peace of mind, though.

 

02 018 9799.  Their automatic answering service is in Thai but press 2 as the menu starts gets you the booking personnel who speak English.

The fare from Sutthisan to the aitport plus minus B300 then B100 booking fee? 

Edited January 9, 2018 by backtofront

[Just Weird]

20 hours ago, backtofront said:

The fare from Sutthisan to the aitport plus minus B300 then B100 booking fee? 

There is a booking fee (B100 in the case of ATT) just as there is for every taxi booked by phone (usually B50), on top of the fare, yes.  All ATT vehicles are newish, clean, well-driven Toyota Prius'.

[lopburi3]

19 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

There is a booking fee (B100 in the case of ATT) just as there is for every taxi booked by phone (usually B50), on top of the fare, yes.  All ATT vehicles are newish, clean, well-driven Toyota Prius'.

And I say again that the website directly contradicts saying the fee is 40 baht - is it wrong or is this an extra airport fee not on the website?

http://www.allthaitaxi.com/website/th/home/

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

And I say again that the website directly contradicts saying the fee is 40 baht - is it wrong or is this an extra airport fee not on the website?

http://www.allthaitaxi.com/website/th/home/

Call them and ask them, then; every time I've used it, and I say again, there has been a telephone booking fee of B100, not only to the airport.

 

I called them to save you the effort, if you want a taxi within 30 minutes the booking fee is B40.  if you're making a reservation  over that time , for example if you're booking for the next day, the reservation fee is B100.

Edited January 10, 2018 by Just Weird

[backtofront]

Uber is the only one to apply a blanket surcharge of 1000 baht? Does it apply to all of their options? 

[lopburi3]

15 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Call them and ask them, then; every time I've used it, and I say again, there has been a telephone booking fee of B100, not only to the airport.

 

I called them to save you the effort, if you want a taxi within 30 minutes the booking fee is B40.  if you're making a reservation  over that time , for example if you're booking for the next day, the reservation fee is B100.

OK that makes a bit more sense as they would have to put someone on hold for a scheduled pickup in that case.  With the number of metered taxi and other services probably not something many would use for airport run but for long distance travel (as in the name) might make sense.  Thanks for explanation.  

[mtls2005]

Taxi 12-hr shift changes are at 04:00 and 16:00 so sometimes a challenge to get a taxi in/around those times. At 05:00 you should be fine.

 

Radio dispatch (+20 baht) is always spotty, you call, then the dispatcher has to radio out and wait for some to respond, then coordinate location/pick-up. It might take 30 minutes. I think many radios have been replaced with mobile data dispatch now.

 

Personally, I use GrabTaxi, then GrabCar then Uber, in that order.

 

You can pre-book (say the day before) any of these services for a slightly higher fee, but it's probably not worth the hassle as the booking might get messed up? Or just chat up neighbors, who have drivers on call, or nearby taxi drivers and arrange a fixed-price/guaranteed pick-up for the next morning.

 

 

[Just Weird]

6 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

OK that makes a bit more sense as they would have to put someone on hold for a scheduled pickup in that case.  With the number of metered taxi and other services probably not something many would use for airport run but for long distance travel (as in the name) might make sense.  Thanks for explanation.  

"With the number of metered taxi and other services probably not something many would use for airport run..."

Depends where you want to get the taxi and at what time.  In a dead end soi, out of the main areas, at 5am ATT and it's B100 fee is a godsend.

[beavercreek]

Just walk to the main road, or even a secondary road.  I have never called them in 20 years coming here.  Do a visual on the cab, tell him airport on meter...closer to 200 than 300. Could not be easier. Just be at a place, where they can stop, safely.

[Just Weird]

22 hours ago, beavercreek said:

Just walk to the main road, or even a secondary road.  I have never called them in 20 years coming here.  Do a visual on the cab, tell him airport on meter...closer to 200 than 300. Could not be easier. Just be at a place, where they can stop, safely.

That's a bit of a revelation, don't suppose anyone ever thought of that.  

[beavercreek]

And some still arrange it through the hotel desk.  Nothing like adding four middlemen to a simple task, with language barriers.

[backtofront]

On 1/13/2018 at 10:34 AM, beavercreek said:

Just walk to the main road, or even a secondary road.  I have never called them in 20 years coming here.  Do a visual on the cab, tell him airport on meter...closer to 200 than 300. Could not be easier. Just be at a place, where they can stop, safely.

Flagged a taxi within minutes. Took half an hour and about B230 from Sutthisan. Thanks for all the advice.

[FarangRimPing]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 4:04 PM, Just Weird said:

For airport trips I always book All Thai Taxis, ultra-reliable, and never late, but you pay B100 booking fee for the assured convenience, B50 more than normal booked taxis(?) Very much worth it for peace of mind, though.

 

02 018 9799.  Their automatic answering service is in Thai but press 2 as the menu starts gets you the booking personnel who speak English.

Based on your advice, I started booking All Thai Taxis.

 

The first time, I booked one day in advance, for a pickup on Wireless Road. The taxi showed up 10 minutes early and called me to say it arrived. Perfect.

 

Second time, I booked one day in advance. Checked the phone app at about noon (for a 5pm pickup), and it showed me the license plate of the assigned driver. Checked again at 3pm and saw same license plate. I went to the pickup location at 5pm, and no taxi. I check the app on my phone and see that the booking is no longer there! I now have to scramble to find a different taxi to take me to the airport so that I don't miss my flight. Nerve-racking.

 

I tried one more time, same scenario where I book 1 day ahead of time, for a 5pm pick-up on Wireless Road. Driver calls at about 3pm verifying the appointment. At 5pm, no taxi! No response from driver. Again have to scramble to find transportation so I don't miss my flight.

 

I've given up on them. Too undependable. I now use Uber, and haven't had an issue with them yet.