Rent one if you already ride, you hold a motorcycle licence, and you are here for a week or more, or you live or work away from a train station.
Think twice if you have never ridden, you have only a car licence, or you are here for a couple of days around the old town and the shopping districts. The trains and taxis will serve you better.
What each way of getting around costs
One ride across town, about 5 km and about 10 km.
| How | 5 km | 10 km | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTS or MRT | ฿17–47 a ride | By distance, where the lines go. BTS and MRT are separate tickets, so a trip on both pays twice. | |
| Motorbike taxi | up to ฿40 | up to ฿100 | The official ceiling: ฿25 for the first 2 km and ฿5 a km up to 5 km; ฿10 a km for a longer ride. Agree the price before you get on. |
| Metered taxi | about ฿61 | about ฿94 | In moving traffic. The meter starts at ฿35 and adds ฿3 a minute when crawling. |
| App car (Grab, Bolt) | ฿78–95 | ฿108–145 | The legal band for a small car, with the ฿20 booking fee. More at busy times; the app shows the price before you book. |
| Scooter, fuel only | ฿3–5 | ฿7–9 | On top of the rental. Gasohol 95 is 41.44 baht a litre. |
Grab and Bolt publish no rate card for Bangkok. The app-car figures are what the 2021 regulation allows a small car to charge, not a quote.
A day, a week, a month
Take a day with 4 rides of about 6 km: out, two stops, and home.
- Metered taxi: about ฿272, more in traffic.
- App cars: about ฿336–420, more at busy times.
- Scooter rented for one day: ฿445 for our cheapest bike, plus ฿17–22 of fuel.
- Scooter rented for two days or more: ฿388 a day, plus fuel.
- Scooter rented by the week: about ฿319 a day, plus fuel.
- Scooter rented by the month: about ฿183 a day, plus fuel.
So for a day or two a scooter does not save money. You rent it for the freedom: door to door, no waiting, any hour. By the week the gap closes. By the month, a day like this costs less by scooter than by taxi or app car: about ฿205 with fuel. Only the train is cheaper, and the train only goes where the lines go.
When a scooter is the right choice
- You are staying a while. The daily cost falls sharply by the week and by the month.
- You live or work off the train lines. Much of Bangkok is a long walk or a second fare from a station.
- You move around a lot. Every extra ride by taxi is another fare. On a scooter it is a few baht of fuel.
- You are out late. BTS and MRT trains stop around midnight.
- Traffic. A scooter keeps moving when cars do not.
When it is not
- You have never ridden. Bangkok traffic is a hard place to learn. If you do start here, take a light 125 cc and get comfortable on a quiet street first.
- You have no motorcycle licence. A car licence does not cover a scooter. Without the right licence you risk a fine, and many travel insurance policies will not pay if you are hurt.
- You are here for a couple of days. The old town, the river and the shopping districts are easier by train, boat and taxi.
- You need the expressway. Motorcycles are not allowed on Bangkok's expressways. For a flight, take the train or a taxi.
- It is pouring. In the rainy season a downpour stops most riders until it passes. Taxis keep going.
- You plan to drink. Take a taxi.
What the rental price does and does not cover
- Included with us: compulsory insurance, two helmets and a phone holder. The bike goes out with a full tank and comes back full.
- The deposit: ฿3,000, returned when the bike comes back in the same condition. We never keep your passport.
- The insurance: the compulsory kind pays for injuries to people. It does not pay for damage to the bike or to anyone's property. That is the rider's cost, so ride like it.
- The helmet: the law requires one for rider and passenger. The fine is up to ฿2,000.
The how to rent guide covers documents and what to check before you ride away. For a longer stay, see what a month costs.
See bikes and prices for your dates
Sources: BTS fares · MRT Blue Line fares from 3 July 2026 (Thai PBS Verify, confirmed by MRTA) · Taxi meter tariff (Government Public Relations Department) · Fare band for app-hailed cars, 2021 (The Standard, quoting the Royal Gazette) · Fuel prices (Bangchak). Taxi and app-car figures are worked out from the published tariffs for moving traffic.