As a regular user of tuk tuks on company expenses I was never that bothered about how much I was charged. My next visit will be as a tourist so I'll be stumping up out of my own pocket! So what is the rule of thumb not to be totally ripped off on pre agreed rates, assuming I have a fair idea of distance/time to be travelled?

The rule of thumb to not getting ripped off by tuk tuks is to take taxis instead. They're cheaper, more comfortable, and have air con. Only time I ever take a tuk tuk is for very short trips that are 20-30 baht and below the 35 baht a taxi starts at.

Agree, just give em a wide berth wherever possible and stick to meter Taxis.

The trick for not getting ripped off by tuk-tuks is to avoid them altogether. Since your company was reimbursing you for fares, why didn't you opt for taxis in the first place, I wonder? Small company? ;-)

Apart from that, there is no "standard fare structure" for tuk-tuks. They'll try to squeeze you for as much as they can, and as long as you're comfortable with the quoted fare, then that's that.

Get a metered taxi and save on headache pills.

Big company big x's. Just used to do it for a laugh, 3 star hotels instead of 5 sometimes.

Anyway thanks for the advice guys

The trick for not getting ripped off by tuk-tuks is to avoid them altogether. Since your company was reimbursing you for fares, why didn't you opt for taxis in the first place, I wonder? Small company? ;-)

Apart from that, there is no "standard fare structure" for tuk-tuks. They'll try to squeeze you for as much as they can, and as long as you're comfortable with the quoted fare, then that's that.

Get a metered taxi and save on headache pills.

tuks are not meant for long trips along main roads. They are meant as where you see the Thai use them for: go into the narrow sois with loads of things, market produce etc. Thats why you seen them wating at markets and the new replacement: TescoBigC, etc. In outer suburban BKK there are other replacements-some very local and interesting.

They should be -why even ask that? a little cheaper as a taximeter-and I guess any regular knows their fares. But as a white farang it will be IMpossible to get that. Even your Thai buddy-if he sees a smiling farang distant-will not get the ''Thai fare''

Your quote about ''on account '' seems laughable-never ever sen them issue a receipt to declare on.

Wot they said

A meter taxi is cheaper and more comfortable than a Tuk-Tuk any day.

Just make sure the meter is on.

They are not in the transportation business as it appears.

They are there to scam first time visitors as often as possible.

As an experiment over the course of a week or so, I asked about 25 tuk tuks on Sukhumvit & Silom about a ride to the Grand Palace.

100% of them lied, said it was closed, said bombs were going off over there etc.., they did offer to take me on a tuk tuk scam run.