Between 4,000 and 5000 taxis will start charging higher fares from Monday after passing vehicle checks and having their meters adjusted.
The group will be the first to begin using the new rates. The basic fare will still start at 35 baht, but higher rates will kick in when taxis travel long distances or are stuck in traffic.
So far, about half of 85,000 registered taxis have been checked by the Land Transport Department. The cabs are now waiting to have their meters adjusted.
"It takes experts about 10 minutes to adjust the meter of each taxi," department chief Thiraphong Rotprasoet said yesterday. "The adjustment will take place at the department's service area near Don Mueang airport. Between 4,000 and 5,000 taxis are expected to start offering the new rates on the same day."
All taxis are required to meet safety and hygiene standards before being allowed to use the new rates, which were officially launched on Dec 13.
The department has found no problems in most of its inspections and expects to finish checking up to 85% of all taxis by Dec 21, Mr Thiraphong said.
Under the new rates, passengers will be charged 5.5 baht a kilometre when they travel between 2km and 10km. The rates will increase to 6.5 baht and up to 10.5 baht per km over longer distances. If the cab travels slower than 6kph passengers will pay 2 baht per minute.
The new fares are based on an 8% increase. The increase will rise to 13% if taxis are judged to have improved services to the public.
Officials said the fare hike aims to help taxi drivers cope with higher costs and stop them rejecting passengers.
Transport Minister ACM Prajin Juntong will next week hold a meeting about a possible fare decrease with private operators of mass transport services, due to a drop in diesel prices. Results of the talks are expected on Tuesday, he said.