Taking taxis in China is not as simple as hailing a cab in a Western city, but it’s not complicated once you understand how the ecosystem works. Between app-based ride-hailing and street taxis, there are more options than you might expect — the key is knowing which to use in which situation, and how to communicate effectively with drivers who almost certainly don’t speak English.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Street Taxis vs App-Based Ride-Hailing
Street taxis still exist across all Chinese cities and run on metered fares. In theory, any taxi with its light on is available. In practice, there are reasons why many visitors find street taxis less reliable:
- Language barrier: Many taxi drivers, particularly older ones, aren’t comfortable with foreign passengers who can’t communicate in Mandarin. Some will wave you off or drive away. This is more common near major tourist areas (around the Forbidden City, on the Bund) where drivers know from experience that English passengers are more hassle.
- Direction refusal: Drivers can legally decline certain fares (short trips, wrong direction from their route home). This happens to Chinese passengers too, but can feel worse as a foreigner with no way to explain yourself.
- Rare overcharging: Most metered taxis are legitimate, but occasional scam taxis operate near airports and tourist spots. These look like real taxis but have rigged meters. The safest response: if the taxi didn’t come from the official taxi queue, be cautious.
App-based ride-hailing (DiDi, primarily) solves most of these problems: the pickup is confirmed via GPS, the destination is entered digitally, the price is shown upfront, and there’s a record of the driver. The driver is less likely to refuse because they accepted the booking voluntarily.
App Options
DiDi (滴滴) is the dominant platform with the largest driver pool. See our dedicated DiDi guide for setup. Most visitors use DiDi as their default.
Gaode Maps (高德地图) has a built-in ride aggregator. When you search for a destination and select “taxi/car” as your transport mode, Gaode aggregates offers from multiple services (DiDi, Caocao, local operators) and shows you prices from each. This can get you a car faster during busy periods and sometimes at lower prices.
Shouqi (首汽约车) is a premium platform primarily in Beijing and Shanghai. Registered, professional drivers, higher standards, slightly pricier. Accepts international payment cards and is popular with business travelers and those who prefer a more reliable experience.
Meituan Taxi (美团打车) is within the Meituan app, which also aggregates multiple providers. Similar to Gaode’s aggregator function.
Typical Pricing
Chinese taxis use meters with a flag-fall (起步价) and per-km rate. These vary by city:
Beijing: Flag-fall ¥13 (includes first 3 km). Then ¥2.3/km. Waiting time ¥1.4/minute. Late-night surcharge (11pm-5am): 20% extra.
Shanghai: Flag-fall ¥16 (first 3 km). Then ¥2.5/km daytime, ¥3.1/km at night.
Guangzhou: Flag-fall ¥12 (first 2.5 km). Then ¥2.6/km.
Chengdu: Flag-fall ¥8 (first 2 km). Then ¥1.9/km — some of the cheapest in major cities.
Shenzhen: Flag-fall ¥10 (first 2 km). Then ¥2.4/km.
As a rough rule of thumb, a 5 km city taxi in a tier-1 city costs roughly ¥20–¥35. A 15 km airport-area trip: ¥50–¥90.
Communicating Your Destination
This is the practical challenge. Options:
Show a screenshot: The most reliable method. Before you leave your hotel or the previous location, screenshot your destination in Chinese characters. Show the driver your phone. Drivers can read the characters even if they can’t handle a conversation.
Use Baidu Translate or Google Translate: Type your destination in English and switch to the Chinese (Simplified) result. Show the screen. Works well.
Hotel business cards: Chinese hotels almost always give these out at check-in. Keep yours — it has the hotel name, address, and phone number in Chinese. Priceless for telling a taxi driver where to take you at the end of the night.
Speak the destination: If you know even rough Mandarin pronunciation, try it. Many Chinese place names are used in daily speech — “Tianfu Square” works fine spoken in a Chengdu taxi without perfect tones.
In-app DiDi messaging: The DiDi app has a translation function in the driver messaging. Type in English; it sends Chinese to the driver.
Disputes About Price or Route
On metered street taxis: the meter decides. If a driver refuses to use the meter (usually claiming a fixed price instead), get out and find another taxi. Fixed-price taxis not using meters are illegal and always charge more.
If you believe you’ve been overcharged via a rigged meter (extremely rare but possible at airports), note the taxi’s plate number and call the city taxi complaints hotline (usually 12319 for general consumer complaints, or the city transport authority).
On DiDi: Prices are shown in advance for Express and other fixed-price options. If there’s a highway toll (高速费), it gets added after the trip, which can occasionally surprise visitors. This is legitimate — toll roads do cost extra.
Short trips: Taxi drivers can legally refuse short trips (under 3 km in some cities). If hailing a taxi for a very short journey, expect occasional refusals — take the metro instead or use DiDi where drivers can’t refuse once they accept.
Airport Taxi Scams — What to Watch For
At airports specifically:
- The official taxi queue is always outside arrivals with an attendant or clear signage. Use it.
- Men approaching you inside arrivals offering taxis are touts. They charge 3–10x the metered price. Ignore them completely.
- Unmarked cars: Only enter vehicles clearly marked as licensed taxis or confirmed DiDi matches via the app.
- At the Luohu border crossing (Shenzhen-Hong Kong) and other busy border points, unlicensed drivers are common. Same rules apply.
Tipping
There is no tipping culture for taxis in China. Rounding up to the nearest yuan is occasionally done as a courtesy but not expected. DiDi fares include no gratuity mechanism by default.