Take Taxi

Getting a Taxi in China

You' re jumpy about taking a cab in China? At first it may seem overpowering - especially if you don't know Chinese - but it's simpler than you think. Let me guide you through everything you need to know to take a taxi in China. If you are traveling almost anywhere in the world, taking a taxi in China is usually the simplest and most effective way to get from one place to another.

Taxi cabs are omnipresent and usually distinguish themselves by their light colours (yellow, amber, gold, black, green etc.) and a front windscreen colour coded light (LED "flag"), which lights up brightly when the taxi is empty and goes off when it is on. Every town in China determines the basic taxi fare, which means that some cabs in China begin at 5MB, while those in larger towns like Beijing or Shanghai begin at 13MB.

Their end fare is a mixture of proximity and speed, just like a taxi anywhere else in the worid. However, there are many reasons why the different taxi systems in China are different. There are a few things you might want to have with you before you even set foot in the taxi: Currency - Currency is the most important currency for taxi drivers in China.

If you have established WeChat or Alipay in China, there are a number of cabs that offer this as a method of mobile payments. Goal - If you do not use Mandarin very well, you will want to write the name of the place where you are going on a sheet of hard copy newspaper.

The majority of hoteliers can help you by noting your travel destinations in China and you will want to collect a map in the loft containing the name and location of that name. If you get into the taxi, simply give the map to them and they will know where to go from there.

Often there are days when I'm standing on a road nook in China looking for a taxi and don't come by with a taxi open for 15mins. Because of this lack of cabs two alternative methods have become popular: namely dark cabs and Didi Chuxing (the "Chinese Uber").

If you are in China for a taxi, you will probably have many vehicles that honk their horns or flash their headlamps when they see you at the roadside. There are many different forms and colours of these automobiles, but they are commonly known as " dark cabs ". Don't be scared to take a taxi if you need it.

Otherwise, you might wait a long while on the road nook! Über used to be present in China, but finally turned down too much cash and in 2016 divested his store to Didi Chuxing. Today Didi Chuxing is one of the few carpool companies in China. Good tidings are that the use of Didi Chuxing is very quick and effective.

You can download the application in English on your mobile but you need to know how to spell your target in Mandarin letters (which will require you to know how to spell Mandarin). Taxi services differ from place to place in China, depending on the state of the car and the cost. There are general places in many towns that are simpler to reach than others (e.g. near hotels), but all you have to do is wag your hands at an empty taxi to stop it.

A few riders will try to take your chance and "negotiate" a prize with you. Don't tip the chauffeur - this is not a Chinese practice and he doesn't expect it... even from travellers from abroad. Your voucher has the car number so that if you loose your purse you can make your call to the nearest airport and find the taxi cab fare to get your things back.

You can use these formulations to make things a little simpler when driving a taxi in China: He travelled by airplane, rail, car, motorbike and even motorbike to almost every part of the world.