Tuk Tuk, Phuket

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Tuk-tuks are everywhere in Phuket and they are in huge numbers in Patong.
Tuk-tuks are small vans, which have open backs and sides and can carry about six people.

Its very important to negotiate your fare before you get in, its based on distance, NOT the amount of people travelling and they will always try to get as much out of you as they can.

On average we paid 700Baht for a return trip from Patong to Karon, 400baht from Patong to Chalong Bay and 400Baht to Phuket Town. Then again we also had a Tuk-tuk for 4 hours and it cost 800Baht. Average prices for within Patong Beach were 100 - 200baht.

We always avoid Tuk-tuks parked outside hotels as they seem to be more expensive, we found it cheaper to flag one down.

Some drivers will suggest they take you to shops for cheap shopping, we have done this once and never again. They are paid a commission or given petrol vouchers for taking you there and the shops are pretty expensive.

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Patong Tuc Tuc are lot different then Bangkok, its 4 wheel Mini Loader converted for Transport (you can find some in BKK as well) in Scarlet or Bright Yellow, Shocking Ping and Green Colors.

From Bus terminal to the town around 100 Bhat and to Patong and other beaches 200

At Patong beach you must ask the fare and bargain before getting in.

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Hitching rides on Tuk Tuk's are a much more pleasant experience than in contrast with Bangkok. Since many of them were wiped out in the devastating tsunami, they are all new and clean, larger and more comfortable. Always negotiate before agreeing to go anywhere

If you don’t want to rent you can use the follow
TUC-TUC is the thai version of a taxi only smaller and sometimes faster
It can carry up to 6 people and the rates start at 150 baht around one area (PATONG,)from patong to karon beach about 250 baht

Motorbike taxi can carry up to 3 people(with the driver) and start at 50 baht
Taxi rates from 500baht

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Haven't got the chance to try Tuk Tuk yet, but there're a lot in Phuket. So, there's no worry for getting around in Phuket, particularly Patong. Just be sure to confirm the location they are going to as well as the price.

Tuk-tuks come in a range of styles, possible the best known are those three wheeled vehicles in Bangkok that are gas powered and it is the noise they make that gave birth to the name. Go to other cities in Thailand and you will see similar three wheelers, but they will not look the same. On Phuket they are 4 wheeled mini vans, usually red or yellow in colour. To hire one just flag it down, state your destination and then agree the price. Only get on board after you have agreed the price. There are no meters in tuk-tuks and this is one thing that is true throughout the Kingdom.
There are many things to debate when on Phuket, where is the best beach; the best bar; the best restaurant; was that really a man etc? The one thing that nearly everybody agrees on is that tuk-tuks are taking tourists for a ride in more than one way. The only exceptions to this debate are of course the tuk-tuk drivers. Partly thanks to the new one way traffic system around Patong the minimum fare is now 150 THB, even if you go just a couple of blocks! Now compared to western prices this is hardly highway robbery, but if you compare a trip from one end of Patong to the centre (Bangla Road) a distance of a couple of kilometres, to how far you can go in a metered Bangkok taxi you’ll soon get the point. In fact air conditioned taxis, of which there are a small number, when compared to omnipresent Tuk-tuks in Phuket, charge the same as their less comfortable alternatives.
The solidarity of the drivers when it comes to pricing is admirable and for us tourists it is a case of “grin and bear it”. They are by far the most convenient way to get around the island. There are buses between the main resort areas and Phuket Town, but they are not that frequent or, for that matter, fast.

Tuk Tuk is the common name of the famous public transportation in Thailand, but here in Phuket a tuk tuk is way too different from the tuk tuk that they have in Bangkok. Its more of a jeep type which can accomodate upto 6 persons.

Most of the drivers here have a fix rate of 100THB no matter whats the distance.

I stayed in town and find the way to travel around. First day I wanted to visit Patong and only Tuk Tuk I could find in town. My friends and I took Tuk Tuk from Town to Patong for about 600 Baht. We enjoyed Patong and later wanted to visit other beaches. So many Tuk Tuks tried to offer a tour and we decided to take Tuk Tuk again from Patong , travel to the south of the island and end in town, spent another 600 Baht. We got this rate after work on bargaining! Everyday while we were in Phuket, still taking Tuk Tuk to many places and found some bad and some good drivers. I just tried to enjoy my trip in Phuket and looked over some bad. In the last day we felt enough of Tuk Tuk so we got a rental car for half day (800 Baht) drive by myself. I think this is a great way to travel around the island, drive on my own, just get a good map and go !!!