When asking a taxi in Bangkok, Thailand to wait for me for a few minutes during a stop in our trip, is the taxi supposed to restart the meter (starts at 35 THB) when I go back to the taxi, or keep the meter running?
asked May 22, 2020 at 16:09
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2Usually, a taxi will charge you from the moment you engage it to the moment you complete the journey, for the metered fare or the agreed fare. Sometimes a driver will ask you for some money up front when you ask it to wait for you, but it is still one journey and one fare. One exception might be if you already paid it off, and then change your mind and say "please wait, I want to go on." Put it this way: if when you leave the taxi the meter says 200 but when you come back it only says 50 you are in!– Weather VaneMay 22, 2020 at 18:23
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1@WeatherVane: By usually, do not mean "usually in Bangkok" or that this is some kind of world-wide taxi agreement?– guestMay 22, 2020 at 19:35
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@guest I would have put it as an answer if knew that were the case in Bankok in particular. Put it another way: you don't get charged another entry fee in a club just because you go to the rest room. It's a rip-off.– Weather VaneMay 22, 2020 at 19:44
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1 Answer
As of 2019, the official waiting time tariff for taxis in Bangkok is 3 baht per minute. But cabbies can be nervous about passengers leaving before payment and not coming back, so it's safer for them to get paid for the fare so first, and then restart the meter on return. Restarting the meter also gives you another 2 km for "free" (included in base price), so for a stop of 5-10 min the price difference will be minimal.
Source: https://workpointnews.com/2019/08/07/taxi/ (in Thai)
answered May 22, 2020 at 23:40
