TAXI

There are two kinds of taxi : taxi meter and common taxi. In taxi meter there is no bad surprise as the passenger fare is proportional to distance. If the taxi is going through highways, the passenger has to pay the toll (10 to 30 Baht). In common taxi, price has to be negotiated first. Now all the new taxis are taxi meter.

In 1998 police claimed they were cracking down on taxi drivers who jigger their meters to cheat riders. There are 20,000 Bangkok taxis idle in the car barn every day -- out of a total of 53000. Drivers say a 10-hour shift often earns just 100 baht. Four hours without a customer is common. A large percentage of drivers are behind in their taxi-rent payments.

Taxi cars brand is often Toyota Corolla. Taxi colors can be color yellow and green. Taxi color depends on the firm that owns the taxis. Often taxi driver are nice. Many drivers are coming from "ISAN" area (อีสาน - northeastern part of Thailand).