PATTAYA, Thailand – A recent post by the “Business Backpacker” page has exposed a startling fare discrepancy between an airport taxi and a popular ride-hailing app available at the airport. The post describes how the ride-hailing app’s fare was nearly double that of the airport taxi for a similar journey.
The user shared their experience of returning to Thailand and having to use an airport taxi after a flight delay. When comparing the two services, they discovered that the ride-hailing app booth, which had a long line of waiting customers, charged significantly more than the airport taxi service. According to the post, the ride-hailing app increased its fare by 35-40% compared to the regular airport taxi price, even though both services used the same type of car, a Toyota Corolla.
The traveler further explained that while the airport taxi charged an additional 50 baht for an airport surcharge, the ride-hailing app’s fare was considerably higher. After using the airport taxi, the user paid only around 200 baht for the less-trafficked journey, which was nearly half the price of the ride-hailing app’s fare of 400-500 baht.
The airport taxi driver clarified that if passengers wanted to use the ride-hailing app, the drivers had to register and queue at the app’s booth, and they could not pick up customers from the airport taxi side.
Travelers are now being advised to carefully check prices when choosing between the two services at the airport to avoid overpaying.
