I'm assuming you can't call Grab and get a driver to pick you up at the Chiang Mai terminal.  Correct?

According to the Grab app, yes you can. Just choose one of the three pickup points that the app suggests.

Pro Tip: Airport pickups and drop-offs are at least 100 baht more expensive. For example, the overall charge from the airport to where I like to stay (House of Siam) is currently 202 baht, but step outside the airport grounds and it drops to 100 baht.

I travel light, so, I usually turn right and stroll 500 meters down the road to the 7-Eleven / Café Amazon complex to grab a quick coffee, or 1 km to the Central Airport Plaza mall where there is a good food court, supermarket etc. The Grab charge from there to House of Siam is currently just 82 baht.

Obviously, if you are traveling with luggage or a girlfriend, just pay the extra 100 baht ????

Why would you want to call for a Grab when the airport taxis are there in profusion and very reasonably priced? I live near Hangdong, a distance of about 12 Kilometres, and the price is usually 300! Jeez. How much cheaper do you want it? Much less of course to downtown destinations.

16 minutes ago, EL159 said:

Why would you want to call for a Grab when the airport taxis are there in profusion and very reasonably priced? I live near Hangdong, a distance of about 12 Kilometres, and the price is usually 300! Jeez. How much cheaper do you want it? Much less of course to downtown destinations.

CM airport to Hang Dong is 12 Kilometers, usually 300Baht?

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

CM airport to Hang Dong is 12 Kilometers, usually 300Baht?

Yes. Sometimes 350 ( I dont negotiate) but mostly 300. This is the price agreed in advance with the lady who holds the clipboard and allocates the jobs to the drivers.

There's no logic to the fare structure.  The taxi desk quotes me 250 from the airport to Nong Hoi and the distance is about 4 kilometers.

2 hours ago, Greenside said:

There's no logic to the fare structure.  The taxi desk quotes me 250 from the airport to Nong Hoi and the distance is about 4 kilometers.

Agree. I m always amazed its so cheap all the way to where I live. If they said 500 I would willingly pay that, but I m not going to offer more than they say! I usually tip by the way.

The last thing I care about after a flight, or usually in my case three flights to get back here, is a fare difference of a couple of hundred baht. All I want to do is get home as quick as possible.

Actually i don't think all Grab customers are just looking for a less expensive fare.

Form my experience I find Grab and Uber to be far better than using the taxi mafia. At least you know up front what the fare will be. The vehicles I rode in were all new model cars, clean, and the drivers although they mostly couldn't speak english were polite and seemed genuinely pleased to have the business.

Compare that to the taxis in Bangkok who pick and choose at the kerbside and try not to use a meter. I know what service I'll use in future.

 

Actually, the taxi fare is no issue.  I'll be returning and traveling from the airport to a house on a fairly obscure little soi.  Only been there twice, and would have a 50/50 chance of giving directions.

28 minutes ago, luther said:

Actually, the taxi fare is no issue.  I'll be returning and traveling from the airport to a house on a fairly obscure little soi.  Only been there twice, and would have a 50/50 chance of giving directions.

Sounds like only a damn fool would rely on a driver to find it.  Get yourself a paper map showing it clearly.

Do they still make paper maps? 

35 minutes ago, amexpat said:

Do they still make paper maps? 

yes+print

7 hours ago, amexpat said:

Do they still make paper maps? 

And good luck finding a thai that can read a map

3 hours ago, sharktooth said:

And good luck finding a thai that can read a map

True that but maybe the passenger can read it and give directions.

 

Better to let Google do it. 

In reality they might not.  Uber had a couple of drivers attacked at the airport by other taxi drivers.  One woman just giving a lift to a friend was attacked as they thought she was working for Uber. I Cannt imagine it will be much different now its Grab.

To where I live, the airport taxi counter was quoting anywhere from 240 - 260 baht when I asked a couple of times, no idea why it wasn't fixed (and I requested my destination in Thai). Grab always costs 212 baht. 

 

Grab has two options that you can select when booking:

 

JustGrab which could be a regular taxi or a private Grab driver

 

GrabCar which only gets you a private Grab driver.

 

I had an odd thing happen when I selected JustGrab. A taxi took the booking and I was standing at pickup point I designated. I saw the taxi's icon on my display approaching, but I didn't see a taxi. The driver kept calling and saying "where are you" and I told him I was as the pickup point and I could see his icon but I could not see a taxi. Then he would call back and ask me again, but still no taxi in sight. I suspect they were playing with me and attempting to get me frustrated enough to go back inside and book a tax at the counter. I cancelled that one, booked again requesting GrabCar and I had a driver in four minutes.

 

Avoid the taxi mafia and be sure to select GrabCar when you book.

I have been taking a taxi from the airport to Thae Pae Road for many years.  There's an office in the wall near one of the exits. The lady gets one of the taxis up, in a minute or two, and the fare is 160 baht and has been for a long time.  My GH is very well known and I have no problems.  Oh, and they have all spoken some English.

Some of you men are like old women.

On 12/14/2018 at 12:06 PM, stevkob said:

Actually i don't think all Grab customers are just looking for a less expensive fare.

Form my experience I find Grab and Uber to be far better than using the taxi mafia. At least you know up front what the fare will be. The vehicles I rode in were all new model cars, clean, and the drivers although they mostly couldn't speak english were polite and seemed genuinely pleased to have the business.

Compare that to the taxis in Bangkok who pick and choose at the kerbside and try not to use a meter. I know what service I'll use in future.

 

I completely agree. If I’m not willing to drive as I know I’m going on the lash, then 100% I use Grab. After long flights though I just go straight up to the desk and order a taxi, as Grab does require a bit of buggering about which is made worse by the amount of traffic at the airport.

On 12/13/2018 at 5:04 PM, EL159 said:

Why would you want to call for a Grab when the airport taxis are there in profusion and very reasonably priced? I live near Hangdong, a distance of about 12 Kilometres, and the price is usually 300! Jeez. How much cheaper do you want it? Much less of course to downtown destinations.

Really? Recently took Grab to airport from home about 120 Baht. When I came back i was looking at phone to book Grab when lady taxi driver came past with a customer and asked where I was going. Told her. She wanted 400 baht. I said too much. SO she said 300.  As I had just gotten off an all night flight and was hot so I took it. Her other customer had further to go and I heard her tell him 200.

 

I am happy to pay reasonable but to be asked for 400 when Grab charged 120.......not reasonable.

 

2 hours ago, Dazinoz said:

Really? Recently took Grab to airport from home about 120 Baht. When I came back i was looking at phone to book Grab when lady taxi driver came past with a customer and asked where I was going. Told her. She wanted 400 baht. I said too much. SO she said 300.  As I had just gotten off an all night flight and was hot so I took it. Her other customer had further to go and I heard her tell him 200.

 

That's why Grab, UBER, and Lyft came into existence. 

 

Mafia Taxi drivers are always my last resort, the sooner the better they will be back in the rice fields or whatever.... 

I arrived back in CM this afternoon at International. Taxis from there were 300B to Nimmanhaemin. I walked down to Domestic where the standard price is 150B,

 

I just laugh and walk out to the bus stop. 20 baht, air conditioning, safe, comfortable, no fumes no haggling. The app shows me exactly where the next buses are, so if it's going to be 15 minutes I get a drink.

A little patience and 20 baht is all ya need...

 

4 hours ago, YogaVeg said:

I just laugh and walk out to the bus stop. 20 baht, air conditioning, safe, comfortable, no fumes no haggling. The app shows me exactly where the next buses are, so if it's going to be 15 minutes I get a drink.

A little patience and 20 baht is all ya need...

 

what app ... ?

I just laugh and walk out to the bus stop. 20 baht, air conditioning, safe, comfortable, no fumes no haggling. The app shows me exactly where the next buses are, so if it's going to be 15 minutes I get a drink.
A little patience and 20 baht is all ya need...
 

Most people need more than 20 baht and patience because the bus goes nowhere near their home.


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1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

what app ... ?

I have two of them:  CM Transit and ViaBus.  Both seem to work the same for me although on rare occasion they both aren't working (both apps must get their data/signal from the same source). 

The blue buses are rather slow but inexpensive, comfortable, and cool (temperature-wise). 

I managed it on my last trip, Book on app, wait at entrance 4, look out for car reg sent in the app with your booking confirmation. Jump in ASAP to avoid any unpleasantness with rivals ????????

I arrived back into Chiangmai airport on Friday afternoon and ordered a "Grab Car" going out to Sankamphaeng the "Grab Car" price was 290 on the App, the driver contacted me asking to meet at gate five saying "Airport taxi don't like Grab" he was there within five minutes and it was a safe drive out the road. . . . .  

On 12/16/2018 at 8:51 AM, CMBob said:

I have two of them:  CM Transit and ViaBus.  Both seem to work the same for me although on rare occasion they both aren't working (both apps must get their data/signal from the same source). 

The blue buses are rather slow but inexpensive, comfortable, and cool (temperature-wise). 

I just had a look at the CM Transit app, and from the description, the app only shows songthaews. Does it also include the bus?