Renting a car with driver

Renting a car with driver

I lead a lifestyle without owning or even driving a car. Most of my sightseeing is by walking or public transport, with a bit of cycling and hitchhiking as well (but only for return, once I got somewhere by public transport and getting out along the way, and bus for return would take too long and might not stop). But for some places, you need a car with driver, below details and and how to estimate price based on distance and waiting time (for the driver while I do sightseeing).

I try to get in contact with the driver directly (by asking at bus station) to get an impression of him and his car and to get lower prices than with an intermediary (hotel or travel agency). All those drives were on time and there were no problems.

Fuel makes a significant difference in price. Diesel or gasoline/petrol at 40 THB/liter, usage 10 L/100km, costs 400 THB/100km, whereas NGV costs only 100 THB/100km (a full tank costs 200 THB and lasts 200 km, that means for longer trips you have to plan where to fill up). Here and following calculations all rounded to nearest 10 or 100. At time of writing 1 EUR = 38 THB, 1 USD = 34 THB, 1 GBP = 44 THB. My abbreviation 1k2=1200 THB.

I recently learnt that LPG and NGV are not exchangeable, for details read here:
https://www.endesa.com/en/blogs/endesa-s-blog/air-conditioning/what-do-glp-gnv-gnc-gnl
LPG is propane and butane liquefied at about 10 atm pressure, NGV is pressurised (200 atm) methane and ethane.

Current Bangkok taxi rates (feb 2023 increase) from https://thaiest.com/thailand/bangkok/taxi
1 to 10 km at 6.50 THB/km
10 to 20 km at 7.00 THB/km
20 to 30 km at 8.00 THB/km
60 to 80 km at 9.00 THB/km
3 THB per minute (when going less than 6 km/h).
Bangkok taxi rate increase with distance, probably based on the assumption that you are going out of town and it will be difficult to find a passenger for return trip.

For Bangkok taxi see here as well: https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2015/06/taxi-myths-debunked.html

Those prices are for empty return, and 3 THB/min for standing with running engine. For my following list of trips I calculate price for taxi at 6.50 THB/km and waiting time (total time minus driving time estimated at 50 km/h) at 180 THB/h. There is a good agreement between I what paid and what it would have cost based on above formula, split into distance (driving) and time (driver waiting for me).

Chronological list of trips by rented car with driver (date, place, distance, duration, price, taxi). All round trips. I was not aware what a difference gasoline/petrol vs. NGV makes, so I did not takes  notes what fuel the car uses. But I assume those in the countryside all used gasoline/petrol. Trips to Kanchanaburi, Pattaya, Ayutthaya used NGV. In all cases, a reasonable price was quoted, no need to haggle.

26dec20214 Phichit 123 km, 5 h, 1k2 (taxi 800+540=1340).

24jan2018 Lang Suan 100 km, 7 h, 1k5 (taxi 650+900=1550).

2018-2022 various trips with a friend by his car, for which he charges me 2 THB/km before Covid, 2.50 THB/km after Covid as half of fuel cost.

9jan2020 Sakaew 164 km, 8 h, 1k7 (taxi 1073+900=1973) Update incomplete. https://maps.app.goo.gl/GfakQmgSiNyXTzy18
18jan2022 U-Thong half day trip not covered here.

20nov2022 Nakon Phanom 250 km, 10 h, 2k5 (taxi 1625+900=2525).

10jan2023 around Pattaya 75 km, 8 h, 2k (taxi 500+1080=1580).
Pattaya is more expensive than the countryside, a Thai friend with a car who does driving as a side business even wanted 3k for this trip.

3-5feb2023 Bangkok-Kanchanaburi-Bangkok 600 km, 3d2n, 7k.
In nov2022, I met a taxi driver who was chatty (in Thai, limited English) and interesting subjects, and safe driving, and car well maintained as far as I can judge, so I asked for his contact details and price for daytrips. He quoted 1800 per day plus fuel (NGV one tank 200 THB for 200 km) plus hotel. For a trip to Kanchanaburi 3d2n that became 7k (3 x 1800 + 600 fuel + 2 x 500 per night). A reasonable amount, I would do it again here or elsewhere. 

Srisaket 5jul2025 2k THB for about 100 km and 6 h (taxi 650+720=1370). 

Richard Barrow reports the same pricing here:
https://www.richardbarrow.com/2023/02/weekend-train-trip-to-phimai-and-ubon-ratchathani/
At Ubon Ratchathani we were picked up by a pre-arranged driver and van. The driver is Tun (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005096521117&mibextid=ZbWKwL). The cost is 1,800 baht per day. We have to pay for his hotel room tonight and petrol at the end of the trip.

11feb2023 Daytrip Bangkok to Ayutthaya 200 km, 9 h, 2k2 (taxi 1300+900=2200). You can easily get to Ayutthaya by train, but from railway station it's 4 km to historical park, and places of interest are spread out, too much to get around on foot. One would have to rent a bicycle at railway station (and spend the day in heat and sun) or hire a tuk-tuk at railway station (from internet: at railway station they charge 300 THB/h, a bit further away 200 THB/h). When travelling to Ayutthaya with friends, I go by taxi from Bangkok.

I came to the conclusion that for daytrips renting car with driver is better value for money than renting car and driving (not myself, but when traveling with friends who can drive in Thailand but don't own a car). Car with driver would run on NGV, a rented car would run on petrol with higher fuel costs. And you don't have to look out for traffic, parking, navigation.

Another issue could be time for pick-up and return of rental car. In Cambodia, I paid for a rented car and a friend drove, and during the trip he told me return is 16. Way too early for me. We were out of town and I want to make the most of it, which is sightseeing until sunset 18, and back in town 20, and return the car next day in the morning. In this case, I had to pay for one day more. There might be car rentals that allow 24 hours. I once read about a hotel that has no fixed check-in and check-out times, but allows 24 hours.

Bangkok to Pattaya (Ibis Sathorn to Tuk-Com 140 km, 2 h, 1k2, taxi 910+0). Tolls would be on top of that. Some people take taxi between Bangkok and Pattaya. I only do when I have stops for sightseeing along the way, else I take bus which takes about 4h door-to-door vs. taxi about 2h.

Here some rates Bangkok taxi to various places:

from: https://www.facebook.com/ladydriverthailand/posts/140644991883581 they have male and female drivers.

Here a recent example from Pai (for reference, I didn't use this service), considerable more expensive because it's Pai, Chiang Mai and many curves and mountains.
Pai to Chiang Mai 130 km, 3 h, 2k2 (taxi 845+180=1025, without mountains it would take only 2 h, still twice as expensive as my trips).

In other countries in SEAsia, renting a car with driver was similar or estimated up to 1.5 times more expensive. Myanmar daytrips around Moulmein and Dawei. Cambodia just car rental, friend drives. Car with driver daytrip Siem Reap to Anlong Veng https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2023/01/anlong-veng-attractions.html
Anlong Veng 300 km, 12 h, 100 USD=3k3 (taxi 1950+1080=3030).
And other daytrips (dec2020 stone field; Kulen mountain; Kbal Spean and Banteay Srei) similar prices.

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