Songthaews
Covered red pick-up trucks called “songthaews” serve as local buses during daylight hours. In Thai “song” means “two” and “thaew” means row. Each songthaew’s destination is clearly marked, in English, on the front and the sides of the vehicle. Songthaews follow fixed routes around the island but there are no official stops. Just flag down the vehicle and confirm that the driver is going in your direction and agree a price.
At night songthaews also operate as private taxis and can be chartered to go anywhere but fares can increase sharply. Should you wish to charter a vehicle late at night from Chaweng or Lamai to outlying areas such as Maenam, the fare would be as high as Bt. 600. If there are already people on board however it should still be operating as a bus and be correspondingly cheaper.
Taxis
Samui has dozens of yellow metered taxis for those who prefer to travel in air-conditioned comfort. They can be found at the airport and cruising the island’s major roads throughout the day and night. The downside is that the drivers refuse to use their meters (because they are set at Bangkok rates) which means prices can be high. Try to negotiate a reasonable fare before departing but expect to pay much more than you would elsewhere in Thailand.
Motorbike Rental
Most visitors to Samui rent 100cc 4 gear Honda Dreams and Waves. Be careful that you do not get a “Samui tattoo” – burning your right calf on the exhaust when getting off the bike. Fully automatic bikes are slightly more expensive but are much easier to handle. Don’t forget that Samui has the highest rate of driving fatalities in the kingdom and motorcyclists are more vulnerable. Motorbikes do not come insured so you will be responsible for anything that happens in an accident.
