Taxi Drivers in Koh Samui

Thailand is famous for its people as well as its beautiful beaches, great forest trekking, delicious food and year round good weather. Of course all generalizations are subject to contradiction by the specific. The good weather is not in evidence during the monsoon months, some Thai food is so spicy as to be inedible by all who have not grown up with very chilly laden food, and not all the beaches are that beautiful.

Many people have a dim view of all taxi drivers. The world over they seem to prey on people who are not aware that they are taking the ‘long route’; that their meter is running on double time. In Thailand taxi drivers are a mixed bunch. The yellow taxi drivers in Bangkok are a fascinating breed. Most of them are honest, especially those that speak hardly any English. They will go on the meter and they will go straight to their destination. Sometimes they will refuse a fare not because they are rude but because the problems posed by one way systems and rush hour traffic. I have often notede that yellow taxis in Bangkok are actually cheaper than tuk tuks and over head trains, especially if you travel in groups of 2 or 3 people. Bangkok taxi drivers are often very talkative. If they discover you understand Thai they are sometimes hard to shut up. Despite their tough working conditions they seem to be brimming over with enthusiasm.

It is thus a shock for those people who head down south from Bangkok the tropical island of Koh Samui. Don’t be deceived by the laid back feeling of the island or by the fact that the taxis have a sign saying ‘meter taxi’. It is not an exaggeration to say that down to a taxi none of them will go on the meter. Whether you want to go to a hotel in Chaweng, the airport or just around the corner Koh Samui taxi drivers will demand a fixed fare. The prices start at 250 Thai Baht and go up alarmingly quickly. For the same money in Bangkok you could travel for an hour in a taxi.

It is impossible to successfully haggle with a Koh Samui taxi driver. You might get the ‘standard price’ instead of a hugely inflated ‘tourist price’; but you will never get a bargain.

The reason for this is often said to be organized crime. the mafia have enforced a strict monopoly to keep taxi fares in Koh Samui high and thus profits high. It is beyond the remit of this website to comment on the veracity of such rumors.