Travel essentials
Transport & taxis
Per-country ride-hail apps, taxi scam patterns, late-night transit options, and airport-pickup guidance for adult travellers in the eleven countries this site covers. After-dark transit is one of the highest-frequency tourist-scam surfaces in the region; this page covers the safe paths.
The single most important rule
Never enter a taxi or tuk-tuk where the driver refuses to use the meter (where required) or refuses to use a ride-hail app fare quote. Quoted flat fares to tourists are the most common documented scam across the region. Walk away and flag another vehicle — there is always another within sixty seconds in any city covered here.
Thailand
- Ride-hail apps
- Grab (dominant), Bolt (growing), inDrive (cheap budget option), LineMan (Bangkok food + ride)
- Taxis
- Metered taxis are required by law to use the meter but routinely refuse for tourists. If a driver quotes a flat fare, walk away and flag another. Pink-coloured Bangkok cabs are independent operators; green-yellow are cooperatives. The Tourist Police (1155) will intervene on documented meter refusal.
- Public transit
- Bangkok BTS Skytrain and MRT run until midnight; last-train varies by line. Songthaews (shared pickup trucks) are the dominant local transit in Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai.
- From the airport
- Suvarnabhumi (BKK) — use the official Public Taxi rank on Floor 1, NOT touts on Floor 2 arrivals. ~THB 250-400 plus expressway tolls to central Bangkok.
Philippines
- Ride-hail apps
- Grab (dominant), Joyride (motorbike-taxi in Metro Manila), Angkas (Cebu), Maxim (regional)
- Taxis
- Manila white taxis are metered but selectively refuse; yellow airport taxis are higher-rate metered. Tricycles in provincial cities and habal-habal motorbike taxis are negotiated flat rates. Avoid coloured-stripe non-metered cabs at NAIA terminals.
- Public transit
- Metro Manila MRT/LRT lines run until ~22:30; jeepneys until ~22:00 in central districts. Cebu has BRT in development; ride-hail dominant.
- From the airport
- NAIA — use Grab booth or accredited airport taxi (yellow); avoid touts. Cebu Mactan-Cebu (CEB) — airport taxi rate cards posted at exit.
Vietnam
- Ride-hail apps
- Grab (dominant), Be (Vietnamese alternative), Gojek (smaller share), Xanh SM (VinFast EV ride-hail, growing fast)
- Taxis
- Mai Linh and Vinasun are the two reliable metered-taxi brands — beige Mai Linh, white-and-green Vinasun. Lookalike fake-livery taxis (similar colours, similar logos) are documented in HCMC and Hanoi. Always verify the dispatch phone number printed on the door.
- Public transit
- HCMC Metro Line 1 opened Dec 2024; runs until ~22:00. Hanoi has metro Line 2A and Line 3. Buses are extensive but limited English signage.
- From the airport
- Tan Son Nhat (SGN) — use Mai Linh or Vinasun ranks, or Grab pickup zone at Terminal D-arrivals. Noi Bai (HAN) — same brands at airport rank; airport bus 86 to Old Quarter is reliable.
Indonesia
- Ride-hail apps
- Gojek (Indonesian, dominant), Grab (close second), Maxim (regional), inDrive (budget)
- Taxis
- Blue Bird (light-blue with bird logo) is the only metered-taxi brand most expats use; everything else is grey-market and price-negotiable. Bali in particular has documented price-cartel issues between airport and Kuta/Seminyak — ride-hail apps work but airport-pickup zones are sometimes restricted.
- Public transit
- Jakarta MRT, LRT and TransJakarta BRT cover central districts; last MRT around midnight. Bali has no rail; ride-hail or scooter rental dominant.
- From the airport
- CGK (Jakarta) — Blue Bird booth in arrivals, or Grab pickup. DPS (Bali) — official taxi rate card is posted; ride-hail apps work but require pickup at a designated lot outside the airport.
Japan
- Ride-hail apps
- GO (the dominant Japanese taxi app, white-and-pink branding), Uber (limited cities), DiDi (smaller share, Osaka and Kyoto stronger), S.RIDE (Tokyo)
- Taxis
- Japanese taxis are metered, professional, expensive. No tipping. Doors open automatically (driver-controlled). Drivers rarely speak English; have the destination written in Japanese (Google Maps share-link is fine). Late-night ride-hail surge typical 22:00-05:00, especially Friday-Saturday.
- Public transit
- Last trains 00:00-00:30 (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Sapporo). After last train, ride-hail or taxi. Night bus options exist for inter-city.
- From the airport
- Narita (NRT) — Narita Express train direct to Shinjuku/Shibuya/Tokyo Station, JPY 3,000. Haneda (HND) — Tokyo Monorail or Keikyu line, JPY 500-650.
Cambodia
- Ride-hail apps
- PassApp (dominant in Phnom Penh), Grab (smaller share), Maxim
- Taxis
- Tuk-tuks (the auto-rickshaw variant) are negotiated; PassApp tuk-tuks are metered. Drivers often supplement income via commissions from venues and shops — an introduction to a specific bar/massage place from a tuk-tuk driver is itself the marker of a likely overcharge.
- Public transit
- Phnom Penh has city buses but routes are limited; no metro. Siem Reap is tuk-tuk dominant.
- From the airport
- PNH (Phnom Penh) — use PassApp pickup at arrivals or pre-arranged hotel pickup. Avoid tout-driver offers. REP (Siem Reap, the new Techo airport since Oct 2023) — 40-minute drive to town; pre-book via hotel.
South Korea
- Ride-hail apps
- Kakao T (utterly dominant — combines taxi, ride-hail, premium ride, parking), TADA, UT (Tmap mobility)
- Taxis
- Korean taxis are metered, regulated and clean. Bank or card payment universal. Drivers generally do not speak English; Kakao T translation feature is functional. Premium tier (Kakao T Black, TADA Premium) is recommended for late-night safety.
- Public transit
- Seoul Metro last train varies by line, mostly 23:30-00:30. T-money card across all metro, bus, taxi. Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju all have metro.
- From the airport
- ICN (Incheon) — AREX express train to Seoul Station (KRW 11,000) or all-stop train. GMP (Gimpo) — direct subway connection.
Taiwan
- Ride-hail apps
- LINE TAXI / 55688 (Taiwan Taxi), Uber (legal post-2017), FindTaxi
- Taxis
- Taiwanese taxis are yellow-only, metered, professional. Bribery and meter refusal essentially absent. Some drivers prefer cash. Mobile-payment via LINE Pay or EasyCard.
- Public transit
- Taipei Metro and Kaohsiung Metro both run until midnight. High-speed rail (HSR) connects west-coast cities. EasyCard works on metro, bus, taxi, convenience-store purchases.
- From the airport
- TPE (Taipei Taoyuan) — Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station (NT$160, 35 min). TSA (Taipei Songshan) — Taipei Metro Songshan Airport station.
Singapore
- Ride-hail apps
- Grab (dominant), Gojek (less so since 2024), TADA, ComfortDelGro (the largest taxi operator app)
- Taxis
- Singapore taxis are metered, regulated and clean. Multiple flag-down fares and surcharges (peak-hour, midnight-06:00, central business district) — verify with Grab estimate before flagging street taxi. Card payment universal.
- Public transit
- MRT runs until ~midnight; full coverage of central districts. Last bus ~midnight. NightRider bus services run 23:30-04:30 Friday-Saturday.
- From the airport
- Changi (SIN) — MRT to City Hall (SGD 2.50), or Grab/taxi (SGD 25-30 plus airport surcharge).
Malaysia
- Ride-hail apps
- Grab (dominant), Maxim (growing), AirAsia ride (smaller share)
- Taxis
- KL Budget Taxis (red-and-white) are metered, KL Premier (blue) are higher-rate metered, airport taxis are coupon-based. Meter refusal is documented but enforcement against the practice has improved since 2018.
- Public transit
- KL has LRT, MRT, KL Monorail, KTM commuter rail; last service ~midnight. Penang Rapid bus network. Johor Bahru has limited rail; cross-border to Singapore via Causeway shuttle.
- From the airport
- KUL (Kuala Lumpur International) — KLIA Express train to KL Sentral (MYR 55, 28 min) or Grab. Penang (PEN), JB (JHB) — Grab or airport coupon taxi.
Hong Kong
- Ride-hail apps
- Uber (used widely but operates in a legal grey area), HKTaxi, Fly Taxi
- Taxis
- Three taxi colours by region: red (Hong Kong Island and Kowloon urban), green (New Territories), blue (Lantau). All metered, all regulated. Drivers generally honest by regional standards; bribery essentially absent.
- Public transit
- MTR is comprehensive and runs until ~00:30-01:00. Octopus card works on metro, bus, ferry, taxi (some), and convenience-store purchases.
- From the airport
- HKG (Hong Kong International) — Airport Express to Central (HKD 115, 24 min); taxi to TST about HKD 270.
Universal good practice
- Use ride-hail apps in preference to street taxis after dark.
- Verify the licence plate matches the app booking before getting in.
- Share your route with someone (Grab and Kakao T both have built-in share features).
- Never split a ride with strangers met at the venue you're leaving.
- Carry small notes — change-trick scams are common, especially in Cambodia and Vietnam.
- For cross-city moves at night, use trains rather than taxis where possible — fewer surprises.