If you don’t know it yet, we tell you now: Chinese cities are huge. The congested roads and major traffic jams during rush hour show China’s primary means of transportation. In an attempt to bring back the number of cars that pollute the Chinese air even more, city governments develop large public transportation plans to transport the commuters and tourists. Extensive metro networks, high speed trains, green buses and thousands of city bikes are a couple of these initiatives. Another major way of transportation in those major cities are, of course, taxis. The metro and buses stop driving around midnight and when it’s pretty late you don’t want to hop on a bike anymore. In all of these situations, a Taxi is an ideal transportation alternative. Here are some tips and things you should pay attention to when you take a taxi in China.
Chinese address
Although, in big cities, the street signs show the names in both English and Chinese, don’t count on your taxi Driver to understand your address in English. Even if he does, there is high chance your pronunciation of the street name will be off or you won’t be able to tell him the number where you live at as roads can run through a whole city. You should therefore take some precautions when you get into a Chinese taxi.
It’s always a good idea to take a card from the hotel in which you are staying. The address will be printed in English and Chinese so you can just show this to your driver and he will drop you off at the door. If you are renting a place from a landlord or agency or if you are staying in an Airbnb, ask your landlord to note down the Chinese address on a piece of paper and hold on to it. Same rule if you discovered a great restaurant, bar or museum you would like to visit more than once. Ask or take a card and don’t lose them as they can become your address book.
Watch out for frauds
In China, competition is a synonym for business, they go hand in hand. In every industry you will find a couple of major players competing with each other. The taxi business is no different. There are different taxi services wherever you go. Don’t think all of these taxi companies are the same though. In general if you see the taxi sign on the top of the roof, you can get in the car. Official taxi drivers should always have a meter and offer you a receipt when you reached your destination, which you should hold on to. Read on to find out why.
Also, official drivers will never hassle you for a ride. Those that do are the independent “Black Taxi” drivers. Their name sounds kind of ominous and so is there reputation. It’s always better to avoid the black taxis as they are known to charge high prices and don’t always hold themselves to the price you might have mutually agreed on before entering. Even if you don’t see an official taxi straight away, it’s better to ignore their calls.
DiDi
While reading this article, you might have already wondered if such a giant country doesn’t have an Uber service. If you read our other article on China’s Great Firewall, you might remember that China’s government prioritizes domestic companies. Uber tried to launch itself in China but was opposed by high costs and hit with many regulations. This opened the doors for DiDi, a Chinese ride-sharing service with a similar business model as Uber. One of the benefits of DiDi is that you can pay with cash, so you don’t need a Chinese mobile payment app or bankcard, although it’s easier that way. There are also many promotions enabling you to take rides for half the price or sometimes even for free! The DiDi app is one of those apps you should install before you set foot in China.
Also important
Some final tips when you take a taxi in China. Paying a taxi fare is possible with cash but is a lot easier through one of the mobile payment apps. Many tourists pay with cash so drivers are definitely prepared for this. However, don’t try to pay with your big notes with a taxi driver. Always carry some small notes to avoid an annoying situation where you have to give your driver a large tip or need to struggle to get some change.
Last but not least, always check the backseat of the taxi when you get out. You would definitely not be the first person who forgets a phone, wallet or keys but this doesn’t mean it’s any less annoying when it happens. A good tip is to keep the receipt your taxi driver will always give you. On this ticket you can find the number of his taxi. In case you do find yourself unable to enter your apartment, you’ll at least be able to call the taxi company and give the taxi’s number so they can track down him, and your keys.
As you can see, there are some things to keep in mind when hauling a taxi in China. With this small guide you will be able to reach your destination without any problems. You also won’t find yourself paying thrice as much as you should. The only thing we cannot prepare you for is the Chinese way of driving or their chaotic traffic. We cannot spoil all the fun though so we leave this for you to discover it by yourself.
The post From Taxi to DiDi: The Ultimate Guide to the Chinese Taxi Service appeared first on Internships China.
