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I am living in Pakse, Champasak, Laos.

I visited Vientiane already. In Vientiane, there are some public transportation as electric buses, tuktuk and taxi. From Wattay Airport, I register taxi and pay free. The fee depend on your destination and not much expensive.

In city center, I often take electric buses with 5LAK/ticket.

Sometimes, I take tuk tuk. Tuk tuk fee depend on your destination and depend on people on tuk tuk (private tuk tuk is expensive).

But in Pakse, I haven't used taxi or electric buses (I never seen them in Pakse), only tuk tuk.

I use public transport all the time. I live 30Km north of the capital and take a songtail and bus (new green and white) both are 5000 Kip but the songtail will take you to your door if you ask them too. The old grey buses still run and used to be about 5000 kip also. For traveling I haven't really used the long haul buses. A new airline called (I think) Lao Center/central ??? has a very cheap fair plan. Some of my coworkers have gone to Bangkok and back for 100 dollars round trip. I just heard last week about another low fair airline but I haven't used them at all in 8 years. Tuk Tuks in my opinion are scams and rip offs. I base this on the negociations and the fact that it takes 30,000 kip at the cheap rate just to cross town and only 5,000 to go 30Km out of town. Most tuk tuk drivers will go high on the charge and come down but they seem to be organized like a mafia or something IMHO. My brother in law is one and would not hesitate to rip me off. I saw a driver try to charge a tourist 50,000 to take them to a hotel just three blocks away after looking at the tourist map. My friend jumped in and told them the deal and they walked. Anyway, be careful stand firm. Read maps and google map is fairly accurate to get around.

Tuk tuk drivers are hardly rip off merchants if you have the nous to speak a little of the language. Local buses are fine, as are Songthaew, (what on earth is a songtail? Is this something you sing when serenading a tuk tuk driver?)

Good comments Somsavath. I could not agree more.

I guess we agree to disagree on this one Stumpy. The Tuk Tuks are somewhat out of control in my opinion. But I have a car now and just park at my father in laws house in Silom and get around on motorbike. For Somsaveth, I don't speak, read or write Lao so Songtail sounds like what I hear and I wrote it that way but good response and I got a laugh out of it. Foriegners sound funny to the locals I know. I really  do like the bus service to Thangone though. Works great in the morning. I am never late for work and I have options for the Songthaew too. I don't drive into town very much. Note: If you go out to Vuenkham you will cross and old bridge just outside Thangone. Be careful, it is falling apart and needs a new topping of wooden planks and asphalt. All the new construction that way using heavy trucks is taking its toil on the stucture.

I use tuktuks a lot and have nom problems withnthem as I negotiate the price before getting on board.

I do have a licence now so will tackle Vientiane traffic when I am home in late June. 

I have driven in Lao for many years so hopefully I will be okay.

Everyone needs to ascertain the price before getting in a tuk tuk.
Stumpy, you will be ok. My husband has driven here for many years now.