How to Get Around Chiang Mai: Songthaews, Grab and Scooters

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Chiang Mai has no metro or BTS-style rail system, so getting around comes down to a handful of road-based options, each with a genuinely different tradeoff between cost, convenience, and independence. This guide covers all of them, from the classic red songthaew truck to renting your own scooter for the surrounding countryside.

Songthaews (Red Trucks)

The red songthaew, locally called a “rot daeng,” is Chiang Mai’s original shared taxi: flag one down, tell the driver where you’re headed, and he’ll decide if it’s on his route before you climb in the back with whoever else is already riding. Fares are not metered — expect to pay roughly 20 to 40 baht per person for a shared ride within the city, agreed informally rather than shown on a meter. It is the cheapest way to move around beyond walking distance, though it takes a bit of getting used to compared to hailing a straightforward taxi.

Grab

Grab operates reliably in Chiang Mai for both car rides (GrabCar) and motorbike taxi rides (GrabBike), with upfront pricing and no negotiation needed. Coverage is strongest in the city center — the Old City, Nimman, Riverside, and Night Bazaar — and gets noticeably thinner once you head toward the outer edges of town or into the surrounding countryside.

Tuk-Tuks

Tuk-tuks are around but less central to Chiang Mai’s transport mix than they are in Bangkok, mostly used for short, direct point-to-point rides rather than as a default option. Expect to pay more than a shared songthaew for the same distance — chartering one privately typically runs 100 to 200-plus baht depending on how far you’re going — and always agree on a price before getting in, since none run on a meter.

Renting a Scooter

Scooter rental is genuinely common among longer-stay visitors and typically runs 150 to 250 baht a day depending on the shop and the bike. An International Driving Permit with a motorcycle category is technically required by Thai law, and riding without one is a frequently cited reason travel insurers deny claims after an accident — worth taking seriously rather than treating as a technicality. Helmet laws exist but enforcement is inconsistent outside of checkpoints, and the real safety risks — loose gravel, unfamiliar left-hand traffic, and inexperienced riders on unfamiliar roads — are well documented rather than exaggerated.

Renting a Car

A rental car makes the most sense for day trips outside the city — to Doi Inthanon, the Samoeng loop, or the Mae Rim countryside resorts — where public transport options thin out and a group can split the cost of a car more cheaply than several Grab rides. Within the city itself, a car is more hassle than it’s worth given parking and one-way streets in the Old City.

Walking

Both the Old City and Nimman are compact, walkable grids in their own right, and many visitors comfortably explore either neighborhood entirely on foot. Moving between them — or out to Riverside, the Night Bazaar, or the airport — genuinely needs a vehicle, since the distances, while short by car, are not pleasant to walk in Chiang Mai’s heat.

A Note on Chiang Mai’s Future Light Rail

Unlike Bangkok, Chiang Mai has no rail transit system today — but that is expected to change eventually. A light rail mass transit project has received government approval and was progressing through planning and design as of 2026, though nothing is under construction or operating yet. For any trip in the near future, plan around the road-based options above rather than anticipating rail.

Which Option Should You Choose?

Use songthaews or Grab for everyday trips around town, since both are cheap, easy, and require no vehicle of your own. Rent a scooter if you’re staying more than a few days and want the freedom to reach temples, cafes, and viewpoints on your own schedule — with the International Driving Permit caveat above firmly in mind. Rent a car or hire a private driver for day trips into the surrounding mountains, especially with a group or family where splitting the cost makes sense.

Getting To and From the Airport

Chiang Mai International Airport sits close enough to the city that none of the above options are impractical for an airport run — see our Chiang Mai Airport Guide for the specific fares and options on that route.

Getting to Popular Day-Trip Destinations

Doi Suthep, the mountaintop temple overlooking the city, is reachable by shared songthaew, Grab, or a self-driven scooter (with real caution on the winding road) — see our Doi Suthep visiting guide for the specifics. Destinations further out, like Doi Inthanon or the Mae Rim countryside resorts covered in our Chiang Mai Travel Guide, generally call for a rental car or a private/group tour rather than a Grab ride.

Costs Compared

Roughly speaking, a shared songthaew ride costs 20 to 40 baht, a chartered tuk-tuk or private songthaew runs 100 to 200-plus baht depending on distance, a Grab ride within the city center typically lands somewhere in between depending on traffic and distance, and a scooter rental averages 150 to 250 baht for a full day — often cheaper than two or three one-way Grab rides if you’re covering real ground. A rental car for a day trip typically costs several times a scooter’s daily rate but splits sensibly across a group of three or four.

Traffic and Timing

Chiang Mai’s traffic is lighter than Bangkok’s by a wide margin, but the Old City’s narrow one-way streets and the ring road around the moat can still slow things down during the morning and evening rush, roughly 7:30 to 9 am and 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Outside those windows, most cross-town trips by Grab or songthaew take well under 20 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Uber available in Chiang Mai?

No — Grab is the dominant ride-hailing app across Thailand, including Chiang Mai, and Uber does not operate in the country.

Do I need an international license to ride a scooter?

Yes, technically an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle endorsement is required, and riding without one can void your travel insurance if you’re in an accident — it is worth arranging before your trip rather than assuming it won’t matter.

Are songthaews safe?

Yes, they are a normal, widely used part of daily life in Chiang Mai — the main adjustment for visitors is simply getting comfortable with the informal, shared, non-metered system rather than any particular safety concern.

Is it worth renting a scooter for just a couple of days?

For a short stay focused mainly on the Old City and Nimman, Grab and songthaews usually cover everything you need without the hassle and risk of a rented scooter; a scooter starts to make more sense on a longer stay or one built around visiting several outlying temples and viewpoints.

How do I pay for a songthaew or tuk-tuk?

Cash only, paid directly to the driver — agree on the fare (for a tuk-tuk) or simply pay the going shared rate (for a songthaew) when you get off.

Will Chiang Mai get a rail transit system soon?

A light rail project has government approval and was in planning and design as of 2026, but nothing is under construction yet, so it is not a near-term option — plan your trip around the road-based options above. For a comparable coastal city’s transport mix, see How to Get Around Phuket, or Where to Stay in Chiang Mai to plan which neighborhood puts you closest to what you want to do.