75THB off your GrabTaxi ride!

GrabTaxi is a taxi booking app that I rely on in Bangkok, whenever I need a taxi ride in the late evening, after work. When my niece was here six months ago, I used it every time we needed to travel by taxi.

No haggling, no rejection, and the ‘safe’ feeling is a money-can’t-buy feeling.

When my younger brother and wifey needed to travel to airport few days ago, they checked with their hotel on taxi arrangement. From Silom to Don Mueang International Airport, their hotel quoted them 1,000 baht for taxi arrangement. They were ‘nice’ enough to inform my brother, that it’ll costs them half, if they hail a taxi themselves.

Hmmph. Daylight robbery, and tourists are always at the mercy of taxi drivers.

 

I pulled out my phone, launched my GrabTaxi app, and indicative fare was 200-300 baht for GrabTaxi and 250 baht for GrabCar (Economy).

But … there were two problems:

1. Taxi driver always call, once booking is confirmed .. to check on location, or to inform passengers of their estimate arrival time. Well … I thought that this step is kinda redundant, since the app allows users to track the taxi. So, I told my brother that he has the option of booking the cab himself, but will need to bear the international roaming charge (they do not have a local SIM card).
2. But … BUT … he will not be able to communicate with the assigned taxi driver, since the drivers are (usually) not able to converse in English.

So, I volunteered to be the ‘go-between’ (with my basic Thai conversations skill) .. to book the taxi and liaise with driver, whilst he waits at the hotel.

 

To cut the long story short, there was a change of plan. I ended up booking the taxi for them, from my place, with them being physically next to me.

 

Using GrabTaxi gave me peace of mind, that my brother and SIL will not be ripped-off by unscrupulous drivers. And GrabTaxi’s GPS system allowed me to track their journey, so that I know they are right on track.

 

In addition, e-receipt was automatically issued and delivered to my inbox. This also reassured me that they were charged according to meter.

I can’t recommend GrabTaxi enough .. for tourists, perhaps get a local SIM card, and then use hotel’s wifi to book your cab. It saves you lots of moneys, worth the (little) money spent on a local SIM card. Make sure there is a local with you .. could be even a bell boy, as Thai language skill is vital!

 

25 baht booking fee is currently waived, so use that savings to get yourself a local SIM! No promo code is required – Save 25 baht off your ride till end of 2015. You will receive an SMS about the successful promo redemption once you are allocated a taxi.

 

And here is another 50 baht promo code, for you to enjoy 50 baht discount off your rides. It is only applicable if you do not have the app / have not used GrabTaxi before.

Travel safe!