Koh Phangan isn’t the sort of island where you can ‘just hop in a taxi and get on with it’, as you’re used to in other parts of Thailand.

Transport here works a bit differently – it’s more authentic and local, but also more expensive. Especially if you travel exclusively by taxi.

👉 My experience: If you want freedom, you can’t do without a scooter or a car.

Find the best hotels by location

👉 Not sure where to stay based on transport options? Have a look at the section on where to stay on Koh Phangan or the general guide to what to see on Koh Phangan.

Quick decision (what to choose)

What’s the best way for you to get around the island?

On Koh Phangan, as in the rest of Thailand, they drive on the left.

🛵 Scooter (the most common choice)

• best flexibility
• cheapest
• ideal for getting around the whole island
• you don’t need to organise anything in advance

👉 for most people = the best solution

🚗 Car (comfort + safety)

• better for a longer stay
• safer than a scooter
• but limited availability – best to sort this out in advance
• there aren’t any major international car hire companies operating here

👉 if you want to avoid the risk of a fall or if you plan to travel frequently into the interior (very steep roads)

🚐 Taxi / songthaew

• Simple, but expensive
• No conventional taxis, only shared minibuses
• you’ll need to haggle

👉 only good for journeys to and from the harbour

❌ Grab / Bolt

• No mobile apps work on Koh Phangau

💬 How did you get around Koh Phangan? By scooter or car? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below this article – it’s your experience that helps other travellers the most.

Scooter hire (the most flexible option)

Without a scooter (or other means of transport of your own), you’ll only see a fraction of the island.

90 per cent of tourists on Koh Phangan hire a scooter, and if you have experience riding a scooter in Asia, this is probably the easiest option.

How it works in practice

Rental shops are absolutely everywhere – in Thong Sala (near the harbour), on the beaches and near hotels.

You turn up, choose a scooter and you’re off in a matter of minutes.

Booking in advance makes little sense and is often not even possible – even during the peak season, there’s plenty of availability on the spot.

Scooter prices

These are approximate prices for a 1-day scooter hire on Koh Phangan:

• 250 thb for the least powerful scooter up to 125 cc (I strongly advise against this due to the hilly roads)
• 500 thb for a scooter up to 160 cc (a good compromise if each person has their own scooter)
• 1 000 thb for a scooter up to 300 cc (I recommend this if there are two of you travelling on one scooter)

💡 Some rental companies offer various discounts for longer hire periods of over 5 days.

Driving on Koh Phangan (don’t underestimate this)

It looks simple on the map. In reality:

• very steep hills inland
• sharp bends
• concrete sections instead of tarmac
• extremely slippery after rain

Accommodation by location

However, the roads are quite wide, well-maintained and very well signposted.

👉 Routes that are typically problematic:

• Thong Sala – Haad Rin
• the east coast
• routes inland

If you’ve never ridden a scooter before, you should definitely consider hiring a car.

Things to watch out for

• Take a photo of the scooter when you collect it
• A helmet is standard (and you must wear it)
• Officially, you need an international driving licence (in case of a police check)

Why is a scooter more practical than a car?

• Wide availability of hire companies with no need to book in advance
• Easy to park anywhere

Car hire (an underrated option)

This is a surprisingly good solution if you don’t want to bother with a scooter.

I don’t have much experience with scooters, and after reading reviews about the steep roads, I decided to play it safe and booked a car.

How it works

On Koh Phangan:

• there aren’t any major international car hire companies
• traditional comparison sites such as Booking.com do not operate
• bookings can be made on the spot – most scooter hire companies also offer car hire, but the availability of free cars tends to be poorer

Everything is local.

💡 Tip: have a read of my experiences with car hire on Koh Samui too.

My experience

As car availability can be limited on the island, I decided to book a car in advance.

I chose from several local car hire companies based on reviews:

• Krembo
• Nicky Car Rental
• Mongkon Car Rental
• Phangan Sky Car Rental

In the end, I booked the car through Krembo, as communication with them via WhatsApp was the best.

• Quick arrangements (they replied to all messages and queries)
• The car was ready exactly where we’d agreed
• Everything was professional and worked much like it does at larger car hire companies

In my view, definitely better than sorting it out when you get there.

After arriving by ferry from Koh Samui, we simply found our car in the car park as instructed and sorted out the payment and all the paperwork with the staff.

• 👉 Most car hire companies require a cash deposit of around 10 000 thb
• 👉 The actual rental payment was made online by card
• 👉 A credit or debit card is not required

Get a Revolut travel card with a bonus

Prices

The price depends on the size of the car and the duration of the hire. The longer the hire period, the lower the daily rate.

• approx. 1 000 thb for a small car
• from 2 500 thb for an SUV

Is it worth hiring a car?

✅ Yes:

• you’re afraid of riding a scooter
• you’re travelling with two or more people
• you want comfort (air conditioning, plenty of luggage)

❌ Probably not:

• you want a low-cost option
• you’re used to riding a scooter

💡 The reality:

Before the trip, I read on various forums that hiring a car on Koh Phangan makes absolutely no sense.

Apparently, the roads are chaotic, the drivers are inconsiderate and there’s nowhere to park a car.

My experience, however, is a little different:

• the roads are very good, but steep – a car is better than a scooter
• on the contrary, drivers are quite considerate
• parking is definitely easier on a scooter, but you can always park a car along the main road
  • just bear in mind that it’s a slightly longer walk to the beach
• We only encountered paid parking (200 thb per car) in Haad Rin during the Full Moon Party

How do petrol stations work here?

Petrol stations here operate just like anywhere else in Thailand.

Along the main roads, particularly around Thong Sala, you’ll find the usual large, modern petrol stations such as Shell and the like.

I recommend filling up at these petrol stations:

• there’s no doubt about the quality of the petrol
• the lowest price
• always manned, with staff to whom you pay directly for the petrol

What’s more, literally every few hundred metres across the island, you’ll come across makeshift petrol stalls selling petrol in one-litre glass bottles.

The price is always 50 thb (which is more than at a large petrol station), and on top of that, you can’t be sure whether the petrol has been diluted with water.

Shared taxi / standard taxi / songthaew

Forget about traditional taxis as you know them. They don’t work at all on Koh Phangan.

📱 Taxis through agencies

This is the most reliable form of transport if you know you’ll be travelling in the evening or to more remote locations.

• Book via your hotel or WhatsApp
• works all over the island

Get a Thai eSIM and stay online

How does it work?

In all villages and towns, you’ll find plenty of travel agencies offering these services.

Pop in, exchange WhatsApp contact details, and everything will be sorted out quickly.

We recommend always getting several contacts – it may happen that the driver you’ve arranged with gets a better job, meaning you’ll have to wait longer.

🚐 Songthaew (shared minibuses)

The main form of ‘public’ transport consists of traditional pick-up trucks with benches, known in Thailand as ‘songthaews’.

They run on fixed routes, most commonly:

• Thong Sala – Haad Rin
• Thong Sala – Srithanu – Haad Yao

💰 Prices:

• As a tourist, you will ALWAYS be charged a different price to locals
• We never managed to use the songthaew as a standard form of public transport (as you might be familiar with from Phuket, for example)
• You have to haggle over the price
• 350 thb 500 thb for the Thong Sala – Haad Rin route
• 200 thb 400 thb for shorter journeys

Payment is by cash only to the driver.

Most shared taxis are always to be found at the Thong Sala pier. From there, a songthaew will take you wherever you like – it just depends on the price you manage to haggle down.

🛵 Motorbike taxi

Motorcycle taxis mainly operate at Thong Sala Pier. We didn’t come across them much elsewhere.

• quick journeys over short distances
• ideal if you don’t have much luggage
• Prices are lower than for songthaews, but you’ll still need to haggle here too

❌ Grab / Bolt / other mobile apps

Ride-sharing apps do not currently work on Koh Phangan.

The situation is similar on Koh Tao; on the larger Koh Samui, however, they work without any problems (though they are expensive).

🚤 Water taxis (often overlooked, but important)

This is typical of Koh Phangan.

When to use it

• secluded beaches with no roads (such as Haad Yuan)
• travelling between beaches

Sometimes the only option, or the quickest option.

Prices

It always depends on how well you manage to haggle. There are no fixed prices.

You often pay for the boat, not the location.

• Usually 500 thb per person for a shorter distance

You can also arrange a tour of various beaches – in which case, prices range from 2 000 thb to 5 000 thb.

The reality

• No timetables
• weather-dependent
• on the beach, you’ll always spot a typical Thai ‘longtail boat’
• just walk over and the owner will take care of you straight away

Standard public transport

Koh Phangan has no traditional public transport network as you’d know it from big cities or more developed regions.

There are no bus routes with a regular timetable, or anything of the sort.

How transport works in practice

This is an important point to bear in mind on Koh Phangan.

• Distances can be misleading
• 10 km ≠ 10 minutes

For example:

• Thong Sala → Haad Rin: approx. 30 mins
• Thong Sala → the north of the island: easily 45+ mins

The main problem is the very rugged terrain, steep hills and, often, very heavy traffic.

Find a hotel by the beach

Common mistakes

1️⃣ Underestimating how difficult it is to ride a scooter
Hills and bends are not for beginners.

2️⃣ Relying on taxis
It’s expensive and limited.

3️⃣ A car booked at short notice during peak season
It may be fully booked.

4️⃣ Not arranging an evening return
Some parts of the island have no transport in the evening.

If you’re relying solely on taxis for transport, it’s absolutely essential to have a constant internet connection in case you need to communicate via WhatsApp.

We sort this out using the Airalo eSIM – you can get one too at airalo.com.

Summary: how to get around Koh Phangan

If you want a simple solution:

• 🛵 best option → scooter
• 🚗 safer alternative → car
• 🚐 a last-resort option → taxi / songthaew
• 🚤 extra option → water taxi

👉 Without your own transport, you won’t see the best the island has to offer.