Grab and Bolt in Thailand: Legal App Cars and Airport Pick-Up

Yes, Grab and Bolt cars can be legal: a 2021 Ministerial Regulation lets a private passenger car carrying up to seven people register as an app hire car. You get an upfront fare in the app. Grab picks up at Suvarnabhumi Level 1, Gate 4; for Bolt, check the app.

Use Grab or Bolt if you want a fare agreed before you ride. A private passenger car carrying no more than seven people can be registered as an electronic ride-hailing hire car.

Spot a legal app car

Run through a few checks before you get in, as the regulation fixes what a legal car and its app carry.

On the outside, the car must show a ride-hailing sign. It keeps the body colour in its registration book, which means no taxi paint, and its plate looks like a private passenger car plate. The car may be at most nine years old from first registration.

In the app, you should see the driver’s identity, an upfront fare, car tracking and a way to ask for help. Pay the upfront fare, since the passenger must be told that amount before the trip.

ข้อ ๑๐ การเรียกเก็บค่าจ้างบรรทุกคนโดยสารของรถยนต์รับจ้างผ่านระบบอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ ให้เรียกเก็บตามจานวนเงินซึ่งคานวณโดยระบบการคิดอัตราค่าโดยสารล่วงหน้าที่ปรากฏในอุปกรณ์เครื่องสื่อสาร เพื่อการรับงานจ้างผ่านระบบอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ตามข้อ ๕ โดยต้องแจ้งให้คนโดยสารทราบก่อนทาการขนส่ง คนโดยสารนั้น

Clause 10: the fare is collected according to the amount calculated by the upfront fare system shown on the communication device, and the passenger must be told before the trip.

Ministerial Regulation on Electronic Ride-Hailing Cars B.E. 2564, clause 10

Grab at Suvarnabhumi

Head to Passenger Terminal, Level 1, Gate 4, where the Grab pick-up point operates 24 hours. Points A and B both sit at Arrival Exit 4 on the first floor.

Budget about THB 350 to 500 for the trip from the city centre. That is Grab’s own estimate rather than a fare quote. On Grab, you see the price before you book, though tolls and surcharges sit outside it.

Bolt at Suvarnabhumi

Look up your Bolt pick-up spot in the app when you request the ride, since the spot can change. For the airport rail, bus and taxi options, see the Suvarnabhumi airport guide, and the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang pages for the airports themselves.

Paying

On Grab, pay with cash, credit card, debit card or GrabPay. On Bolt, a credit or debit card works in the app, while cash or mobile payments depend on location.

When the metered taxi makes sense

For a metered taxi instead, take a queue ticket first on Level 1, between Gates 4 and 7, where airport taxis run 24 hours. On top of the meter, a taxi from the airport adds a THB 50 airport surcharge, paid to the driver, and expressway tolls are yours to pay as well.

Keep 1584 handy: it is the Department of Land Transport complaint line. For scams and other numbers, see the scams guide.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: Cancellation fee amounts: Grab and Bolt show them inside the app, so no amount is given here. Later changes to the fare notice are not confirmed.

Prices, timetables and opening hours change; check with the operator before you travel. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.