Pictures courtesy of Komchadluek 

 

The Ministry of Transport has announced plans to introduce an additional 10–20 baht service charge for taxi rides during rush hours starting in December 2025. The move aims to reduce the widespread problem of taxi drivers refusing passengers during peak traffic periods and late-night hours. The adjustment will not affect the base fare, which remains at 35 baht, but will apply only as a service fee during designated times.

 

Deputy Transport Minister Mallika Chiraphanvanich confirmed the proposal, stating that the Department of Land Transport (DLT) had recommended the fee increase as a practical solution to encourage more drivers to accept passengers when traffic is heavy or after 21:00. She stressed that the change is a fee adjustment, not a fare hike and is designed to balance the interests of both passengers and drivers.

 

Mallika acknowledged that taxi meter rates in Thailand have remained unchanged for over 20 years. She explained that while previous governments focused on protecting passengers from higher costs, this policy would offer relief to drivers who face rising expenses. She added that the DLT has studied fare restructuring in the past but refrained from implementation to avoid burdening consumers during a period of high living costs.

 

At the same time, the department is preparing to modernise the fare system through the introduction of digital meters, which will calculate fares more accurately based on real-time data such as fuel and gas prices. Mallika said this digital transformation would ensure fairness and transparency for both drivers and passengers while reflecting actual operating costs.

 

Sarapong Phaitoonphong, Director-General of the DLT, expressed confidence that the new rush hour service fee will help reduce passenger refusals. He confirmed that implementation is expected by December 2025, with technical and regulatory details being finalised. Sarapong also reiterated that the broader taxi fare restructuring plan remains under consideration and will only be introduced once the digital meter system is ready.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• DLT will add a 10–20 baht rush hour taxi service fee from December 2025.

• The base fare of 35 baht remains unchanged, with the adjustment aimed at reducing driver refusals.

• A future digital meter system is planned to make fare calculations more accurate and transparent.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Komchadluek 2025-10-19

 

 

 

 

Fair enough, if it makes it easier to find a taxi driving on the meter charge.

13 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Sarapong Phaitoonphong, Director-General of the DLT, expressed confidence that the new rush hour service fee will help reduce passenger refusals.

No, it won't. It will be the same as when they raised the salaries of Customs officials to reduce corruption. Same corruption, just being paid more.

Helping the powerful taxi mafia, as usual. Nothing will change, still no meters, over-priced rip off quotes to destinations if you are not Thai, poor driving standards, and all the usual sloppy service... so glad I gave up on public transport.

12 hours ago, khunPer said:

Fair enough, if it makes it easier to find a taxi driving on the meter charge.

Do you really think that 20 baht more will change the mind of a driver? Haha... It will be nice for those honest taxi drivers who do their job and never refuse customers or try to cheat them. 

But, this 20 baht hike is nothing. The meters already have a seperate rate for when the car is in traffic. If the meter is even used. 

Driving the move to Grab and Bolt even quicker, unless they introduce a similar increase. 
 

In Bangkok I find that many of the rides I book on an app are serviced by normal taxis anyway, works very well.

On 10/19/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

the DLT has studied fare restructuring in the past but refrained from implementation to avoid burdening consumers during a period of high living costs.

"To avoid burdening consumers"?

 

The DLT thinks that taxi drivers don't face higher living costs as well?  It's farcical that the base fare hasn't increased in 20 years.

On 10/19/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

She stressed that the change is a fee adjustment, not a fare hike and is designed to balance the interests of both passengers and drivers.

That's a bit like we're not making redundancies we're just downsizing ?

They always bring up how prices haven't changed in however many years, but that's just the flat fee. Several times, they have adjusted how quickly the meters tick up, to account for rising costs faced by drivers. But they're still paid peanuts, and 20 baht is not going to make a blind bit of difference. 

13 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

Helping the powerful taxi mafia, as usual. Nothing will change, still no meters, over-priced rip off quotes to destinations if you are not Thai, poor driving standards, and all the usual sloppy service... so glad I gave up on public transport.

Agree with one caveat, they do the same thing to Thais during rush hour.  Hell it is quicker to walk than try to get through Suk traffic during rush hour

17 hours ago, khunPer said:

Fair enough, if it makes it easier to find a taxi driving on the meter charge.

I prefer my chances with the lottery 😬. 

 

But fair enough, if no fare hike in 20 years.   I wouldn't use the meter either. 

38 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

Driving the move to Grab and Bolt even quicker, unless they introduce a similar increase. 
 

In Bangkok I find that many of the rides I book on an app are serviced by normal taxis anyway, works very well.

The Bolt system seems to have an inbuilt algorithm that increases the ride price during times of heavy demand or heavy traffic.  And as previously commented, taxi meters still tick over if the vehicle is stuck in heavy traffic.  Why not just increase the minimum taxi fare to 50 baht and be done with it ?

It was only yesterday they denied it, and said it was only in discussion...today it is fact...oh well, we expect nothing else...flip flop flip flop...see what announcements are made later today.

5 hours ago, thesetat said:

Do you really think that 20 baht more will change the mind of a driver? Haha... It will be nice for those honest taxi drivers who do their job and never refuse customers or try to cheat them. 

But, this 20 baht hike is nothing. The meters already have a seperate rate for when the car is in traffic. If the meter is even used. 

We all know it's a joke... it's a pity many Thais, believe the BS they are fed.

Just got back from Singapore. There you can select one of three apps for booking and it works great for the customers:
1. The driver can't refuse a customer.
2. The driver is supervised through GPS.
3. If the driver doesn't move for 10 minutes, he will get a call and asked if he is in need of assistance due to an accident or something else.

43 minutes ago, hidbehindthesofa said:

The Bolt system seems to have an inbuilt algorithm that increases the ride price during times of heavy demand or heavy traffic.  And as previously commented, taxi meters still tick over if the vehicle is stuck in heavy traffic.  Why not just increase the minimum taxi fare to 50 baht and be done with it ?

Because the same scams/overcharging/etc will still happen...time after time they say they will "rehabilitate" the taxi drivers/industry, besides a couple of seminars, which are totally ignored, nothing changes...makes good photo op/publicity stunt.

1 hour ago, JJ-Thailand said:

Just got back from Singapore. There you can select one of three apps for booking and it works great for the customers:
1. The driver can't refuse a customer.
2. The driver is supervised through GPS.
3. If the driver doesn't move for 10 minutes, he will get a call and asked if he is in need of assistance due to an accident or something else.

You can’t compare the two cities, Singapore is minuscule in size compared to  Bangkok but substantially more expensive.

2 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

You can’t compare the two cities, Singapore is minuscule in size compared to  Bangkok but substantially more expensive.

Correct, I live in Bangkok and here they get nothing done right. Remember when they looked at Singapore and started to fine people littering in the streets, it failed because they forgot the bins so there were nowhere to throw to rubbish. Did they put out bins? No, they scrapped the idea.

On 10/19/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

the Department of Land Transport (DLT) had recommended the fee increase as a practical solution to encourage more drivers to accept passengers when traffic is heavy or after 21:00

 

The fare system automatically accounts for heavy traffic by charging more when the vehicle's speed drops below a certain level. And I've never noticed a problem with getting taxis late at night (other than in tourist or entertainment areas) - drivers are usually fine with picking up passengers when traffic is light. 

 

On 10/19/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

the change is a fee adjustment, not a fare hike

 

Let's see - you pay a higher fare, but it's not a fare hike? "I'm not punishing you, just spanking you so you understand that what you did was wrong"

 

On 10/19/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

Mallika acknowledged that taxi meter rates in Thailand have remained unchanged for over 20 years.

 

This is factually incorrect, as a simple internet search would demonstrate. The flag-fall rate of 35 baht is still the same, but it was changed to cover only the first km instead of the first 2km. The per-km rate has also been raised over the years, as has the per-minute rate for slow or stopped traffic, and extra charges for luggage to and from airports were added. The fact that she's unaware of all this makes it hard to take her views seriously.

Sorry, but this is not good enough. As the director says, they have been unchanged for 20 years. Every Thai government says they want to help poorer members of society. 20 years ago, a bowl of noodles was 30 baht!! Now its 50-60. Energy prices are higher etc. The flag fall should go to at least 50 Baht and meter rates be raised by at least 25%. I can still go to the airport from the centre of BKK for THB250, or $7. If I were in London, this would cost at least 3500 baht. Taxis are ridiculously cheap which is why its so difficult to find one who uses the meter.  

17 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

Helping the powerful taxi mafia, as usual. Nothing will change, still no meters, over-priced rip off quotes to destinations if you are not Thai, poor driving standards, and all the usual sloppy service... so glad I gave up on public transport.

I don't even use taxis any more. I use Bolt. Very happy with that, less aggravation, usually none except sometimes an extended wait depending on how far away your driver is. 

When I first visited Thailand in 1985 you haggled the price before getting into the taxi. (Traffic wasn't an issue then either!)😊

 

What I have to say now will be unpopular with some.🥺

 

In 1998 when I started living in Bangkok the flag-fall on the meter was 35 Baht, and I believe that it's the same today, 27 years later?? That should now be 80-100 Baht, allowing for inflation. (I think the price might have gone up by like 20 Satang/km?)

 

I'm not at all surprised that many drivers don't want to use the meter.

I used to use a taxi often, I would give 60 Baht for a 47 baht fare, and 100 Baht for a 69 Baht fare.

On 10/18/2025 at 11:48 PM, Georgealbert said:

 

Pictures courtesy of Komchadluek 

 

The Ministry of Transport has announced plans to introduce an additional 10–20 baht service charge for taxi rides during rush hours starting in December 2025. The move aims to reduce the widespread problem of taxi drivers refusing passengers during peak traffic periods and late-night hours. The adjustment will not affect the base fare, which remains at 35 baht, but will apply only as a service fee during designated times.

 

Deputy Transport Minister Mallika Chiraphanvanich confirmed the proposal, stating that the Department of Land Transport (DLT) had recommended the fee increase as a practical solution to encourage more drivers to accept passengers when traffic is heavy or after 21:00. She stressed that the change is a fee adjustment, not a fare hike and is designed to balance the interests of both passengers and drivers.

 

Mallika acknowledged that taxi meter rates in Thailand have remained unchanged for over 20 years. She explained that while previous governments focused on protecting passengers from higher costs, this policy would offer relief to drivers who face rising expenses. She added that the DLT has studied fare restructuring in the past but refrained from implementation to avoid burdening consumers during a period of high living costs.

 

At the same time, the department is preparing to modernise the fare system through the introduction of digital meters, which will calculate fares more accurately based on real-time data such as fuel and gas prices. Mallika said this digital transformation would ensure fairness and transparency for both drivers and passengers while reflecting actual operating costs.

 

Sarapong Phaitoonphong, Director-General of the DLT, expressed confidence that the new rush hour service fee will help reduce passenger refusals. He confirmed that implementation is expected by December 2025, with technical and regulatory details being finalised. Sarapong also reiterated that the broader taxi fare restructuring plan remains under consideration and will only be introduced once the digital meter system is ready.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• DLT will add a 10–20 baht rush hour taxi service fee from December 2025.

• The base fare of 35 baht remains unchanged, with the adjustment aimed at reducing driver refusals.

• A future digital meter system is planned to make fare calculations more accurate and transparent.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Komchadluek 2025-10-19

 

 

 

 

who on earth still uses a regular taxi now that we have BOLT or UBER....lol

51 minutes ago, diveasia666 said:

who on earth still uses a regular taxi now that we have BOLT or UBER....lol

When I'm paying $2 or $3 for a 2 or 3 km taxi ride I'm not gonna be trying to screw them down by 20,30,50 cents. Chump-change to me, but much more to them.

6 hours ago, hidbehindthesofa said:

The Bolt system seems to have an inbuilt algorithm that increases the ride price during times of heavy demand or heavy traffic. 

Same for Grab and increase is fixed for destination

 

1 hour ago, diveasia666 said:

who on earth still uses a regular taxi now that we have BOLT or UBER....lol

And Grab

I have no problem paying the honest taxi drivers an extra 20. However, it won’t make a bit of difference to the scam taxi drivers, with the majority of them sitting outside a shopping mall or tourist Attraction. They almost without exception won’t use the meter and ask where you are going and then quote an inflated fare. The last time I used one they actually quoted more because he said the traffic was heavy. Even with this fee increase they will still sit outside their favourite spots fleecing customers.

As if taxis actually use the meter. I don't remember the last time one did.

49 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

And Grab

Grab transport is literally double the price of Bolt and other alternatives now. Not sure why but it is so expensive it is not a viable option. Even a scam taxi is cheaper.

Who determines 'Rush Hour' ?

And I'm sure it'll be longer than an hour !