Taxis in Bangkok

Available taxis are the ones with the glowing red vacant sign.

No need to negotiate the fare as all taxis in Bangkok are now metered (well, sort of anyway). A driver refusing to use a meter is an indication of a suspicious agenda. If he insists on giving you a fixed fare, instead of using the meter, it's best to find another cab. Taxis standing by in front of hotels are usually suspicious.

Don't be surprised if the driver refuses to take you where you wish to go. There's nothing you can do about it but try your luck with the next taxi.

It's ok to get a taxi at a bus stop when there's no bus approaching, otherwise you can expect to be honked at.

Like tuk-tuks, watch out for an over-eager taxi driver who offers to take you to 'good' places, skip it or decline!

Don't expect Bangkok taxi drivers to know the city's every nook and cranny, as a driver qualification exam isn't required. It's always a good idea to carry a map, or the name and the location of where you're heading to written in Thai.

Look behind you and make sure there's no motorcycle coming before you open a car door. It's very common for passengers to open the door without looking, and have a motorcycle slam into it. This can cause serious injury to the motorcycle driver, the taxi passenger, as well as considerable damage to the taxi itself.

Tipping of taxi drivers is not required, though rounding the fare off to the nearest 5 or 10 baht is common practice (it's a nice thing to do, as they earn very little, work long hours in often stressful conditions). But remember: Taxis often pretend not to have change, so carry small amounts!

Before getting out of a taxi, make sure you haven't left any valuables or shopping bags behind.

Trust your intuition. If you don't get a good feeling about a taxi driver, rather wait for the next one. For every nasty taxi driver in Bangkok there are two good and charming ones.