khon kaen taxi tips

[at15]

What ive noticed here vs bangkok, is the drivers are a lot more desperate and like to swindle. Especially if your a foreigner, high chance your going to be messed with. 

 

- 40 baht starting fare. 

-some use meter, some dont. if your coming from the airport, bus station, etc, most likely no meter. 

-for pre booking, whether its the phone hotline or grabtaxi app, they love to start the meter before getting to you. very common. you can avoid this with grab. instead of showing estimating minutes to you it will say "in transit." once they do that, i just hit i arrived on grab and abandon them. waste their time for nothing. and you cannot get charged any fee since grab is cash only in khon kaen.

-pre booking is extra 20 baht for grab, and phone booking is 20 or 30, im not sure they have done both. recommend to use grab if your thai is not great. that way you can use gps. even though most drivers have no idea how to use gps, its a better chance then speaking broken thai.

-sometimes they will try to charge an extra 20-30 baht like you prebooked, give the correct fare and walk away. 

[Rc2702]

Only issue I ever had in KK was a few taxis were not up for taking us to a hotel 200 metres away (luggage) as it seemed they were up for the detour route so ended up walking. Besides that never had an issue and I took maybe 30 cabs whilst in kk. KK v BKK taxis is miles apart for me and a lot less hassle in KK and of course better value. The chaps by the bus station in KK seemed like a bunch of numptys but the airport guys I have always found to be great. 

[kowpot]

It is the rule at the airport that you will be charged an extra 40 or 50 baht.  If you  go to the taxi stand at the terminal exit, they will most always use the meter. If you take a taxi from someone that comes up to you and ask if you need a taxi, they will not use the meter. They want a set price. But, you have no recourse if the ask for more at your destination. 

[SantiSuk]

Thanks for the heads up. In KK and flying to CMX this am, stayed in centre of KK overnight and returning tomorrow (quick pick up of wife's first born).

 

Was going to use a taxi but I'll avoid the bolux and take the car. Have already checked out parking.

 

You'd be very unlucky if you got any of these overcharge probs in Ubon, unless you took the ones that lie in wait outside the few expensive hotels. As always, avoid tuk-tuks everywhere, unless you like having arguments.

[Travel2003]

OP an add for a taxi app?

[tomwct]

I like to spend a few nights in KK every six months or so! I also tried meter

taxi's especially when they first appeared on the streets. I quickly found out

that meters are not used even when you ask them to use them. They just

qoite you a fare. Now I ask and say no and catch a songtail for 8 baht. I

make sure I make eye contact with the taxi driver, so he understands he

lost my business.

[kowpot]

On 4/9/2017 at 10:49 AM, tomwct said:

I like to spend a few nights in KK every six months or so! I also tried meter

taxi's especially when they first appeared on the streets. I quickly found out

that meters are not used even when you ask them to use them. They just

qoite you a fare. Now I ask and say no and catch a songtail for 8 baht. I

make sure I make eye contact with the taxi driver, so he understands he

lost my business.

I have never had a problem with a Taxi in Khon Kaen not using the meter. Every time I have taken a taxi, they use the meter. I live here so I take a lot of taxi's .

[Travel2003]

Same here.  Never ever had any issue with the taxis (since they arrived) and meters.

I think maybe once or twice the driver asked for 40 more on a 160, which I though was fine.

[bmore99]

The Tourist Police conducted a few sting operations some months ago. Foreigners were asked to take a taxi. Tell the driver where to go to and leave it up to the driver to either quote a fixed price or turn on the meter.
Turned out 1/3 quoted a fixed price - fined 1000฿; 1/3 asked for surcharges - fined 500฿. So only 1/3 didn't cheat.

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[Travel2003]

I do not say you lie here, but I kind of have serious doubts about such an operation, involving foreigners and local police in a joint operation. But stranger things have happened in Thailand.  

[bmore99]

I do not say you lie here, but I kind of have serious doubts about such an operation, involving foreigners and local police in a joint operation. But stranger things have happened in Thailand.  

Become a tourist police volunteer and you'll find out that foreigners and police do co-operate in Khon Kaen. BTW the operation was shown on Channel 7 news.

And doubting what someone says is true, is actually saying that you think the person is lying.

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[bmore99]

The link to channel 7 news item:
http://news.ch7.com/detail/163423/%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%88_%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%97%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%8B%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88_%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%84%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B2.html

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[Travel2003]

Link not working, but thnx.

[jimmyyy]

i live in Khon Kaen, every time i have called a Taxi they come and always have used the meter. 

[Rc2702]

3 hours ago, jimmyyy said:

i live in Khon Kaen, every time i have called a Taxi they come and always have used the meter. 

Any way to know there a taxi like? Where I'm from all the cabs are black and a certain boxy shape and normally a fat lad driving.

[Travel2003]

On 6/5/2017 at 2:59 PM, jimmyyy said:

i live in Khon Kaen, every time i have called a Taxi they come and always have used the meter. 

Me too.

Every time, since they started up with regular taxis.

[oxo1947]

On 23/4/2560 at 4:01 PM, Travel2003 said:

but I kind of have serious doubts about such an operation, involving foreigners and local police in a joint operation.

It happened all the Time in Udon --Working together I mean......

Links work OK for me.

[Travel2003]

7 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

It happened all the Time in Udon --Working together I mean......

Links work OK for me.

Ok, will copy paste part of my previous reply .......... "but thnx".

[jimmyyy]

if expats in Khon Kaen have a problem with taxi's, the Police will work with them to fix it.  I have no doubt about it, its not us against them up here.  

[jeab1980]

On 2017-4-10 at 0:44 PM, kowpot said:

I have never had a problem with a Taxi in Khon Kaen not using the meter. Every time I have taken a taxi, they use the meter. I live here so I take a lot of taxi's .

Yes agreed as long as you tell them from the start.Airport theres a 40 bht surcharge always as they organise from the arrival lounge and taxis have to pay x amount to the desk. Hail a cab and they always put the meter on unless you are going out of city boundry (very vauge where the boundry is tesco lotus 2 is outside and a fixed fair. 300 to our village no meter. If a hotel calls you a taxi theres a surcharge usualy 30bht.