How do you pay the fare on these river taxis? Do you pay someone before you get on- or is the fare collected by someone after you board?

Thats a good question!!!! I am sure we did it all wrong, but we bought a ticket before we got on, then this woman comes down the aisle taking tickets and shaking this metal can full of coins, she took our old ticket and gave us a new one and used that metal can to make a cut in the ticket. Each stop she would come back around. Even if we paid too much, it was a cool experience.

just get on and sit or stand and a toll collector will come around and get your money.....have some coins or small bills....fares differ depending on where you are going.....its usually about 8B....i have never seen a fare taker on the pier.....where did you do that jeffrey??

There are actually two types of boats. For the tourist boat you can pay for a ticket ahead of time at Taksim - the is a "desk" there or you can pay on the boat. If I remember correctly, the fare is 20 baht. The regular water taxi, the woman comes around, asks where you are going and tells you the fare, typically something in the 8-14 baht range per person. I prefer to ride on the regular water taxi. Sometimes the men staffing the dock try to direct farangs to the tourist boat. On the tourist boat, they have this annoying announcer teling you what you are passing ("This is the Oriental Hotel - the most expensive hotel in the city. A room there costs over $400 a night!) The tourist boat is much less crowded, but not as atmospheric.

Be aware that some of the regular water taxis are express boats and will not go to every stop.

Right after we got off the boat from the marriott there was a little booth, well actually I think it was a table with all these tickets on it. We told her where we wanted to go and she gave us the tickets. We had no idea where we were once we got on the boat, we were the only non thai on the taxi. We got off at the wrong stop and had to turn around and go back, when we did that we were in the middle of this HUGE crowd of people getting onto the other taxi, I was still a head taller than everybody so my wife could always tell where I was. There was this woman yelling into a megaphone in thai, it was like being at the drive thru, only in thai, and I didn't understand a word. We finally made it on the right boat and paid the shaker lady again. The picture we took on the boat are great, we look like complete idiots!

Just pay when you get on the boat. Keep some coins on you. There is a place where one can pay at Saphan Taksin Pier, but I just pay on the boat. Just know the name of the Pier (Tha) that you want to get off at. Happy Travels!

There are two type of river ferries, those the most thais and many visitors take and the tourist ferry.

The regular ferry is cheap and you pay on board. They do not stop long at the piers and you sometimes have to be quick getting on/off. Those with no flag stops at all piers while those with flags stop only at desinated piers and some during certain times only. The piers are now numbered as well as named. Check here for rates
http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/expressboat_e.htm

The tourist boat (great for 1st timers) have better boats, more comfortable seating, stops longer at piers, has a guide (english and thai) and includes a bottle of water and a 28-page colour guide book with fold-out map. A day pass cost 100 baht which allows you unlimed use all day from the 12 piers that they stop at
(the most popular stops). Runs every half hour from 9am to 5pm daily. Not cheap when ompared to the cost of just a couple of trips on the regular ferries but well worth it for newbees and elderly folk. Check here for more details.
http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/touristboat_e.htm

i believe the piers are numbered as well as named....co-ordinate that with your map of the river

You say "river taxis" - is that what you mean? Like boats that run to your beck and call and nobody else's?

The smart way to travel on the Chao Praya is to use the regular river buses/ferries. These are seriously good value - used by the Thais.

Pay on board. At most of the major jetties there is a notice explaining the difference between the various services - all done by flag colour.

Some are "expresses"; some are the equivalent of "stopping trains".

My advice - just do it. Read the info; get a map; It ain't too hard.

River taxi is a generic term- actually they are called Express Boat, Tourist Boat etc. I got all the info from the website except how the fare is collected.