Agency’s transfer vs. public taxi:  pros and contras. Which one suits you the best for your personal style? [farparents tip]

• If you have a timely plan of when to leave for the pier or airport

With a normal taxi, it might be for you more difficult, to estimate when should you leave the hotel for the airport.

OK, you can ask the local or the hotel staffs for a better idea. But if some mistakes happen on the way and you come to the airport late.

The person who timely guided you will not take responsibility for it.

With the agency’s transfer, the time is carefully set and matched with your flight under consideration of traffic jams and events on the road on an individual day.

• Wrong pier or hotel drive possibility 

In Samui, there are boat companies operating their boats at many different piers (at least 2 piers).

Clients have to do more homework about which pier their boat is. Actually, it can very little happen that the taxi brings you to the wrong pier.

But not 100% (it can still happen)

Unlike the hotel. It happens quite much more often that the taxi brings clients to another hotel because the familiar name sounds.

In Samui, there are many hotels that have partially the same name. You have to tell the driver the full name of the hotel and repeat the difference again to the driver to eliminate this highly possible mistake.

It helps a lot to mention the area name where your hotel is located.

Example:

You want to head to the hotel called “The Rockstar Bophut Spa and Resort” which is located in Bophut, Samui

There is another hotel that is more famous to everyone knows, it called “Rockstar Resort” but it is in Lamai, Samui

It can easily happen the taxi driver automatically assumes the more famous one “Rockstar Resort” and brings you there.

Once you arrive there, make a check-in then realize that you are wrong here and the taxi is gone.

So, it is fine to take a public taxi but just have to make sure, you tell him the very correct name of the pier or hotel.

With the agency’s transfer, you can get in the car, sleep for a while, and wake up when arrive at your (correct) hotel.

• Who is cheaper

The public taxi is about 20-30% cheaper compared to the agency’s transfer. But in amount, it can be just a little difference.

For example, the agency’s transfer from Chaweng to the airport will cost 350 Baths, then the taxi should cost 250 Baths also 100 Bath difference.

But if your hotel is at the bottom of Lamai where the transfer costs 600 while the taxi costs 500 Bath, the difference is 200 Bath. Hmm, 2 meals of local food.

• Taxi price varies with daytime and event

Taxi price is not stable but can change during the daytime and varies with the individual taxi driver. In the daytime, it will be the normal price.

In the evening the price start going slightly higher. While the price of the agency’s transfer stays at all times the flat price.

• Price negotiation

The price of the public taxi is negotiable. You need to be a good negotiator when taking a taxi. They will offer you only a flat price.

Before you get in the car, you should negotiate the price with the driver first. With agency, as mentioned it is a flat price, no need to negotiate.

If you make a good negotiation with the taxi, you can even save more money for a local lunch.

• Time management, how early or late do you want to be driven

This is the big advantage of using the public taxi. Normally the transfer from agencies is a timely plan with spare time for about 40 min in case of traffic jams. (Here, we used 40 min.

just for example). Sometimes the agency’s transfer can come to you late for 10 – 15 minutes due to the traffic. # In case of this how to react?

If there is no traffic jam, you will come to the airport very early and have to wait for the departure.

With the public taxi, you can manage your time as you want. The same to the boat crossing islands.

If you are in Koh Phangan and have a flight to Koh Samui on the same day,

your agency will pick the safest boat schedule for you that makes you come early to the airport.

But if you did not book it in advance and want to buy the ticket on the spot the risk is that there is no seat more for you.

Especially during the full moon party. And no one will be responsible for you. # how to choose the timely right ferry across the islands