Phuket Taxi Prices: How Not to Get Ripped Off

There are several different ways you can catch a taxi in Phuket. However, understandably, a concern of many newcomers is making sure you are paying the right price for a taxi service.

The choices can seem overwhelming when you land at Phuket airport, so we cover over here in a lot more detail how to arrange Phuket airport transfers.

In this article, we’ll talk you through how to catch a taxi in Phuket and general and therefore, what you should be paying for a taxi or ride-share service in Phuket.

How To Catch A Taxi In Phuket

There are several ways to get a taxi in Phuket:

• Hail a taxi on the street: Taxis in Phuket are usually marked with a “Taxi Meter” sign on the roof, and they are often brightly coloured red and yellow. You can simply wave at a passing taxi to hail one down – we discussed these metered taxis in more detail here**
• Go to a taxi stand: There are taxi stands located throughout Phuket, particularly in popular tourist areas such as shopping centres or beach exits. You can go to one of these stands and ask for a taxi, they will have a displayed list of prices to major towns, but you may be able to negotiate an exact fare to your destination, or for a larger vehicle to fit a group. These are called green plate taxis.
• Use a ride-hailing app: Apps like Grab and Bolt are available in Phuket, and you can use them to book a taxi or private car. We discuss Grab and alternatives here.

It’s worth noting that most taxis you pick up from a taxi stand in Phuket do not use meters, so it’s important to negotiate the fare before getting in the taxi to avoid overpaying. It’s also a good idea to have the address or location of your destination written down in Thai to show the driver.

** If it’s not a yellow-plated taxi or tuk tuk or a green-plated taxi/ride-share vehicle, it is not legal.

Common Taxi Prices in Phuket

This can kind of come down to your willingness to negotiate and how busy a taxi rank is when you’re trying to find your next ride. It seems pretty much everywhere, even fixed prices can be negotiated, to a degree (They are less and less willing over the years to negotiate as things have become more regulated, this is actually a good thing!)

These are the taxi prices recently shared in 2021 from the Ministry of Transport (the wording maximum fare and recommended fare seem to get used interchangeably)

Metered Taxi Fares in Phuket

If you prefer the comfort of a metered taxi with a precise fare based on distance travelled, this is the schedule of rates set in Phuket (NB this can differ to other parts of Thailand who’ve updated their rates in more recent years):

• First 2 kilometres – ฿50 flat fee
• 1km to 15 km ฿12 per kilometer
• 15km of more – ฿10 per kilometer
• When travelling under 5km/hr – ฿1 per minute
• Ordering a taxi or via the call centre incurs a fee of ฿50
• Flagfall from Phuket International Airport – ฿100

Are You Paying the Right Price For a Taxi?

It can be hard when you first arrive in a new country to be sure you’re not being ripped off, so the sign boards at popular taxi rank areas are certainly great guidance as to what you should be paying (though these days we always make a quick comparison on the Grab app too; if we are getting prices about 100 THB cheaper on Grab and there’s a car within 5 minutes, its worth that few minutes wait, and you then have a cashless payment).

Click over here to learn about all the different types of transport in Phuket

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