Taxi In Phuket

[stelen123]

Hello,

We are arriving to Phuket on bus April 11, with big
suitcase..traveling to patong hotel...anyone can recommend a good taxi
service, reasonable prices or metered least, or someone can do a pick
up, and will pay you rather then get ripped off ) 2 adults..thanks a
lot

Stefan and Lenka

[eezergood]

_{Unless you have friends here, the prics are FIXED therefore you will be ripped off - perhaps contact yor hotel to see if they have a return price deal?}

[NomadJoe]

Unfortunately the first thing you need to know about the transport system in Phuket is that is is abysmal. It's doubly unfortunate that it is the first thing visitors experience when arriving here. It is run by a small but powerful group of individuals who govern themselves, some of which are in local government, or pay local officials well to assure their monopoly and extortionate prices. Taxi's and tuk tuks here can be 5 to 10x the price of a taxi in other parts of Thailand. They are on par with some of the most expensive taxi's in the world. Avoid them if you can.

If you have heavy bags the best option at present is the metered taxi stand. Go out the main doors and turn right. Ignore all the "limo" touts. Many of the touts are asking 1800B to the beach towns. One of our guests was recently stung for 4000B. "Normal" price for the silver "limo's" is 700-800B to Patong, Kata, Karon. Price may be negotiable. (FYI A "limousine" in Phuket is a Toyota Camry, i.e. what is a small to mid-sized sedan in a modern country) The metered taxi's are a little cheaper than the silver "limo" taxi's at 500-600B. This includes the 100B airport surcharge. Whatever taxi you use, be sure to ask if they are going to use the meter if they have one, and also make sure they know you do not want to stop to look at any attractions along the way like silk houses, gold shops or to book tours etc. Make sure they know your destination beforehand or once underway they may pretend not to know where it is, or try to tell you it's "no good" there, or that it's closed, or even burned down. This is so they can take you to a hotel where they can collect a commission.

There is an airport bus in the works but it is currently on hold due to threats from the taxi/tuk tuk mafia. There is a shared van option as well at 200B. Look for signs in the arrivals area. They will likely stop at a tour desk along the way to try to divert passengers to a hotel which gives commission or to book excursions. Be firm but polite. It is a very good idea to note the drivers name and operator number and snap a photo of him or her before you set out. Let them see you do this and your journey will likely be trouble and scam free. If you have complaints, call 1584 from any Thai phone or PM me and I will be happy to assist you with your complaint.

Welcome to Phuket.

Edited April 3, 2013 by NomadJoe

[hkt83100]

[...]If you have heavy bags the best option at present is the metered taxi stand. Go out the main doors and turn right. Ignore all the "limo" touts.[...]

Your reply is extensive and well written, but a bit off topic. If you read the original post, you may find the passage "We are arriving to Phuket on bus", and until now I have not seen buses arriving at the airport.

[gamba]

I just get the latest price list from a taxi we use and it says 500 baht. Just so you know it should be about that when arrive.

[NamKangMan]

[...]If you have heavy bags the best option at present is the metered taxi stand. Go out the main doors and turn right. Ignore all the "limo" touts.[...]

Your reply is extensive and well written, but a bit off topic. If you read the original post, you may find the passage "We are arriving to Phuket on bus", and until now I have not seen buses arriving at the airport.

Yes, they are arriving by bus, not plane, but otherwise, a good description of the sad state of affairs here, in relation to transport, NJ.

I would add, to the OP, as tempting an as economically viable it may appear - do give SERIOUS consideration before renting a motorbike here. Many have been killed, injured and/or scammed in relation to motorbike hire on Phuket.

Roads are even more dangerous at the time you are coming here - Songkran.

[NomadJoe]

[...]If you have heavy bags the best option at present is the metered taxi stand. Go out the main doors and turn right. Ignore all the "limo" touts.[...]

Your reply is extensive and well written, but a bit off topic. If you read the original post, you may find the passage "We are arriving to Phuket on bus", and until now I have not seen buses arriving at the airport.

Xxxx...didn't see that.

Edited April 4, 2013 by metisdead
Profanity

[pagallim]

@stelen123

Sad troll post. Get a life and post about something that really is important to you (or at least something you might have awareness of).

[Phronesis]

In the last few days I have seen some russian hitch hiking on Thep Krasattri Road.

Why not join this new trend?

[falkan]

i picked up one russian today on bypass 300thb - patong

[NamKangMan]

i picked up one russian today on bypass 300thb - patong

I can see next weeks PG headlines, "Police crackdown on Russian tourists hitch hiking and taking Thai jobs." :)

[balo]

Why not just rent a motorbike near the airport ? It is cheaper than one trip with a taxi ......

[NomadJoe]

A taxi to Patong from the bus station is about 500B. The taxi's/tuktuks and even motorcycle taxis will not to take passengers across town to the local bus station where one can catch a bus to the beach towns for 30B. They will only take passengers all the way to the beach destinations. The only metered taxis in Phuket operate from the airport. They are not allowed to pick up passengers outside of the airport or they risk retribution from whichever taxi/tuk tuk mafia which "owns" the right to passengers in the area they are picking up said passengers. This is one of the reasons why taxi's and tuk tuks are so expensive in Phuket. You are required to pay a round trip fare even when you are just going one way. It is an antiquated village system which doesn't exist pretty much anywhere else in the world, including other parts of Thailand.

[Mrjlh]

When you arrive at the bus station look for a "METERED TAXI" sedan. They are there but sometimes you need to look for them. There doesn't seem to be any designate taxi parking there or at least I didn't see one. Look out by the main office in front. Avoid the red tuk-tuks they are uncomfortable riding in the back over the hills to Patong. Have as good trip.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Mrjlh

[wellred]

Just get the minibus.

[Peterocket]

Book via phuket shuttle and you will pay a fixed price with a driver waiting for you with sign as you leave departures. Same fixed prices as the "Limo" service at the booths.

[keestha]

Quote: "They are not allowed to pick up passengers outside of the airport or they risk retribution from whichever taxi/tuk tuk mafia which "owns" the right to passengers in the area they are picking up said passengers. This is one of the reasons why taxi's and tuk tuks are so expensive in Phuket. You are required to pay a round trip fare even when you are just going one way. It is an antiquated village system which doesn't exist pretty much anywhere else in the world, including other parts of Thailand."/end quote

In Khao Lak, the same system though. Khao Lak is spread out, it consists of a number of different villages. Taxi drivers can take customers from village A to village B, but in B they can't pick up customers, their colleagues based in B wouldn't tolerate it.

Edited April 4, 2013 by keestha

[LivinginKata]

Book via phuket shuttle and you will pay a fixed price with a driver waiting for you with sign as you leave departures. Same fixed prices as the "Limo" service at the booths.

As has previously been mentioned .... the OP is arriving at the Phuket bus station

[stelen123]

Sorry about the confussion, but I'm not arriving via plane, just a bus from pattaya, and going to patong hotel with heavy laguages

[Peterocket]

Book via phuket shuttle and you will pay a fixed price with a driver waiting for you with sign as you leave departures. Same fixed prices as the "Limo" service at the booths.

As has previously been mentioned .... the OP is arriving at the Phuket bus station

It was in reply to the other people talking about getting taxis at the airport.

[Phronesis]

Book a rental car from DAVIDS car rental near the airport. You can get a little suzuki jeep for around 700THB a day.

Have them deliver it to the bus station for you for a small fee.

Davids cars have full insurance, the company has been around for a very long time and they are easy to deal with.

[phuketsub]

I tried hitchhiking on Thepkrasattri many times, but all the people who stopped identified themselves as taxis and asked for lots of money to bring me from Bang Khu down to Supercheap, even though they were going right past it anyway. Sad.

That said, I am totally down with hitchhiking and often give rides to tourists in need, free of charge. I have met a lot of interesting people this way and they are always grateful for the assistance.

All of this underscores another big problem in the Phuket transport fiasco that seldom gets mentioned: unless your happen to be leaving a hotel or some other location where there is a taxi rank, it is almost impossible to get a taxi because they don't troll for fares like they do in Bangkok and elsewhere.

The taxi drivers here are not only thuggish, they are lazy.

The remind me of those crocodiles that lie in wait for a herd of wildebeest to cross their river...

[taninthai]

Sorry about the confussion, but I'm not arriving via plane, just a bus from pattaya, and going to patong hotel with heavy laguages

wow pattaya to phuket you sure are seeing the best thailand has to offer.... hope you have fun.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[LivinginKata]

Off topic post removed.