TAxi Mafiosos in Hua Hin

[Vital Spark]

The van we took from Hua Hin a few weeks ago was running LPG.

We left Hua Hin with some seats to spare, but filled up in Cha-am. These guys are not going to run at a loss. Picked up a parcel or two on the way (extra dosh).

If they didn't make a decent amount of money (and forget maintenance on the vans, because Thais really don't understand servicing or preventative maintenance) then the service wouldn't be available.

VS
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[Wanderlust]

From my point of view it is only the tuk tuks that really try it on; the minibus to BKK is very cheap and most would probably willingly pay more (especially if they stopped hiring wannabe Ayrton Sennas!). The taxi services to BKK are mostly within a reasonable price range and again could probably charge a little more (especially if they guaranteed that all tolls were included). The situation with tuk tuks though is not just restricted to Hua Hin; when I lived in BKK the tuk tuks there always tried it on as well, and I ended up taking meter taxis most of the time, and only took tuk tuks for very short journeys (once from one end of Khao San Road to the other when it was hissing down!).
The point made by chelsea about the short high season in HH does have some relevance, but the logical thing to do when there are few tourists around and expats laugh in your face when you ask for ludicrous amounts for short journeys is to lower the price, or at least allow some negotiation, but this just doesn't happen most of the time.

[chelsea]

FFT100 With most diesel vehicles you need to change oil every 5000kms and Oil and Filter every 10,000kms. Whereas Petrol engines have a much longer oil and filter service interval.
Also costs of Diesel oil filters can cost the equivilant of between 1000-1500baht each. Whereas a petrol engine oil filter would cost you about 500-600baht and has a lot longer life span.
Over a year that can add up to a lot larger expense to service a diesel engine against a petrol.

Wanderlust the smarter of the expats/holidaymakers will find themselves a regular driver that they can trust and if you make a deal with a certain driver it can be a godsend to you. Makes life a lot simpler than having the end of night haggle with drivers that do not want to take your fare.
I have done a similar thing when I have been in HH and have had no problems. If you have a driver pick you up at the airport, a quick converstaion re driving you around when needed while you are there makes getting around a lot easier and sfaer.
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