Transportation

Bangkok, Thailand Travel Guide

About     Getting Around     Attractions     Hotels     Eats     Essentials & Practicals

Transportation in Bangkok

CABS
Overview: A cab is the easiest way to get around Bangkok. In addition, the metered cabs are inexpensive. ALWAYS take a metered cab and not a green, independent cab to get around the city. In 2007, green and yellow taxis appeared to be independent, thus, charging more. Friends say that the green and yellow cabs are now metered. Metered cabs are pink or orange and have a meter sign on top of the cabs. You can find them anywhere; literally, they are all over Bangkok.

Tours: for tours, it’s best to arrange with your hotel. A van will usually pick you and a few other tourists up. But, check with the hotel staff who’s arranging a tour for you and they’ll make sure you get an accessible van. Again, for a ride and a tour guide, it’s fairly affordable.

Cost: The meters start at 35 baht and an additional 35 baht for the first 2km. 5 baht thereafter per km.

Airport to Hotel: At the Suvarnabhumi Airport, you must go down a level from the baggage claim. Once down the elevator, you’ll head out. There’s a throng of taxis queued up in line. There’s also a table with a line in front of it facilitating taxi rides. The cost to the Landmark Hotel in Bangkok by cab will cost around 250 to 300 Baht.

Note that taxis are supposed to have working meters. If they don’t, pass them up.

TUK-TUKS
Overview: Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled motorized carriages. They’re somewhat common and faster in terms of cutting and zipping through traffic, as they’re much smaller than cars. If you have a manual chair, there is enough room in the tuk-tuk for you to fold up your chair and place it in area that separate the seats front and back. I have ridden in tuk-tuks several times. These tuk-tuks, however, are bumpy and you will exposed to all the pollution and smoke from the other cars on the road.

Cost: There is no set cost. A ride from the Landmark Hotel, to say, Siam Mall, is negotiable for about 50 to 80 baht, depending on your negotiation skills. A ride back to the hotel will cost almost double because of the road system.

METRO
Overview: The metro system in Bangkok is known as the BTS Skytrain. The BTS Skytrain, as you can tell by the pictures, is virtually inaccessible. Most of the stops have steps or flights of steps up to them. Some have lifts but to get to the lifts, you must mount some steps first.

BUSES
I have not personally tried the buses. They appear to be crowded and inaccessible.