Taxis in China: How to Hail, Pay, Avoid Scams and When to Use Ride-Hailing

Street taxis in Chinese cities are licensed, metered and cheap by Western standards, and they are a good choice whenever you can see one or are standing at an official taxi rank. The rules are on your side: a street taxi driver must take a sensible route, run the meter, charge the city's set fare and give you a receipt. The two things that trip visitors up are language and payment. Most drivers speak little English, and only some cars take foreign cards, so carry your destination in Chinese and a second way to pay. Use a ride-hailing app such as DiDi when you want an English interface and an in-app card payment. This guide covers how to flag a taxi, how to pay, what the meter costs in major cities, where the official ranks are at airports and stations, and what to do about detours, overcharging and lost items.

Street taxi or ride-hailing app: which to use

A street taxi (出租车, chūzūchē) is a car you flag on the road or pick up at a rank. A ride-hailing car (网约车, wǎngyuēchē) is one you book in an app, and it comes to you. Both are legal and both are common. Which one is easier depends on where you are standing and what you have in your pocket.

Street taxis are run on a government-set fare. National rules require the driver to use the meter, follow the city's tariff, take a reasonable route and hand you a valid receipt, and they forbid refusing a passenger, haggling over the price or deliberately taking a longer way. Ride-hailing prices work differently: they are set by the market unless a city decides to control them, so there is no national ride-hailing fare and the price you see is the one the platform shows when you book.

In practice, this is how we would choose:

• Take a street taxi when there is an official rank in front of you (airports, big railway stations, large hotels), when your phone is flat or has no data, or when it is quiet late at night and empty taxis are passing. You do not need an app, an account or a Chinese phone number.
• Book a ride-hailing car when you cannot say or show your destination in Chinese, when you want to pay a foreign card inside the app, or when you are somewhere taxis rarely pass, such as a residential street or a suburban sight.
• At rush hour and in the rain, empty taxis get scarce. Ride-hailing can be quicker to arrive, but the app price can rise with demand. The taxi meter follows a tariff the city sets, so it cannot jump freely; it still climbs while you sit in traffic, and a few cities allow a small peak-hour adjustment (see the fares section).

Most visitors end up using both: taxis from ranks and for short hops, an app for everything else. If you are still deciding how to get around a city at all, our guide to city transportation in China compares taxis with the metro and buses, and our China metro guide covers how to pay at the gates in ten cities.

How to flag a taxi and tell the driver where to go

Look for a car with a taxi sign on the roof and a lit "vacant" sign on the dashboard, usually red or green, showing 空车 (kōngchē, "empty car"). Stand where a car can stop safely, raise your arm, and the driver will pull over. Avoid bus stops, junctions and fenced roads, where drivers are not allowed to stop or will not risk it. In Shanghai, for example, drivers may not stop to pick up passengers within 50 metres of an intersection, so walk a little way along the block before you wave.

Flagging on the street still works, but in big cities fewer empty taxis cruise than before. Shanghai's own English guide says street hailing remains possible, but booking through an app is now the most common way people get a car. If you have waited ten minutes on a busy road without luck, switch to an app rather than walking further.

Telling the driver where to go is the bigger hurdle. Beijing's official guide for new arrivals notes that most drivers do not speak English and suggests having your destination's Chinese address ready before you arrive. Practical ways to do that:

• Save your hotel's name and address in Chinese characters as a screenshot. Hotels usually print it on a card at the front desk; take one.
• For sights and restaurants, copy the Chinese name from a map app and show it on your screen. Our map apps guide explains which apps show Chinese names reliably.
• Show the driver a pin on the map as well as the text. Many places share names, and the map removes any doubt.
• For anything more than an address, such as "please wait here" or "the other entrance", a translation app with voice mode works well. See our translation apps comparison.

Sit in the back and wear your seat belt. Before the car moves, check that the meter has been started.

How to pay: cash, QR codes and foreign cards

Bring a small amount of cash, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card, and treat a card terminal in the taxi as a bonus. That combination covers almost every ride.

Cash

Cash in renminbi is legal tender, and refusing it is not allowed in China; businesses have been fined for doing so. If a driver will not take cash, you can complain to the People's Bank of China hotline 12363. In daily life most drivers are paid by QR code, so they may not carry much change. Small notes save trouble. Shenzhen is one city that has made a specific effort here: banks there issued pre-packed bundles of small change and paired with 63 taxi companies so that drivers can still give change for cash fares.

Alipay and WeChat Pay

This is how most passengers pay. At the end of the ride, the driver shows a QR code, either a printed card on the dashboard or one on their phone, and you scan it and enter the amount on the meter. Alipay supports linking UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover cards, and WeChat Pay supports the same networks plus American Express. Set this up before your trip: our guides to using Alipay with a foreign card and using WeChat Pay with a foreign card walk through the steps.

Foreign bank cards in the taxi

This varies a lot by city. Shanghai is the clearest case. According to the city government's English guide to taking a taxi in Shanghai, every Shanghai taxi takes cash and the Shanghai Public Transportation Card, and about 2,000 Dazhong (大众) taxis also accept foreign cards with the UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB or American Express logo. Not every Shanghai taxi you flag will be one of those cars, so do not count on paying by card. The Shanghai Public Transportation Card works in taxis as well as on the metro and buses, and it can be topped up with Alipay or WeChat linked to a foreign card at the metro's self-service machines. In Beijing, the BEIJING PASS, a transport card sold to foreign passport holders, works in more than 20,000 taxis.

For Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities, there is no official figure on how many taxis take foreign bank cards. Some cars have a card reader and many do not, so plan to pay by QR code or cash and use a card only if you see the logo and the driver agrees.

Tipping is not expected in Chinese taxis. Pay what the meter shows. Our guide to tipping in China covers the wider picture.

What taxis cost: meter fares in major cities

Each city sets its own taxi fares, so the starting price, the rate per kilometre and the extra charges differ from place to place. The table below lists the official rates for eight cities.

What these numbers mean on the road:

• Short city rides are cheap. Most trips across a city centre cost not much more than the starting fare plus a few kilometres. If a driver asks for a fixed price that sounds high for a short ride, insist on the meter.
• Night rates start at 23:00. They end at 05:00 in Beijing and Shanghai and at 06:00 in Shenzhen and Xi'an. The meter applies the night rate automatically.
• Long rides cost more per kilometre. Most cities add a long-distance charge after a set distance, because the driver may have to come back empty. This is why airport runs cost more than the distance alone suggests.
• Waiting in traffic counts. When the car crawls in a jam, the meter keeps adding time charges. A short ride at rush hour can cost noticeably more than the same ride at midday.
• Tolls are extra. In Xi'an, bridge and road tolls, and parking fees when you ask the driver to stop, are paid by the passenger on top of the meter. Shanghai drivers must tell you before taking a toll road, bridge or tunnel that adds to the fare.
• Some cities let the rate float a little. In Guangzhou, the meter rate is a base price that taxi companies may raise at peak hours and lower at quiet times within set limits. Shanghai allows companies an optional small rise at weekday peak hours and a small cut at midday, and Nanjing's rates may move up or down from the base price within a set range. The posted rate inside the car is the one that applies.

Two city-specific extras are worth knowing. In Shenzhen, from 23:30 to 06:00, a taxi taken from the airport taxi queue adds 15 yuan to the fare, and one from the Shenzhen North station queue adds 5 yuan. This is a Shenzhen rule; elsewhere, check the rates posted in the car rather than paying any extra the driver names at the airport. At Chengdu Tianfu Airport, taxis run on the meter to any destination within Chengdu's administrative area with no empty-return charge.

For Chengdu and Wuhan, the fares are shown on a sticker inside the car or on the meter, and the city transport bureau publishes the official notice; check those for the current rate. For Chongqing, the table shows the latest fare document published by the city's price authority, which dates from 2014; confirm the rate posted in the car.

Airports and railway stations: where to queue and how to avoid unlicensed cars

At every big airport and railway station there is an official taxi rank with a queue, a marshal or dispatcher, and metered cars. That is the only place to get a taxi there. National rules require taxi drivers at airports and stations to follow the dispatcher and not to look for passengers outside the designated area.

Other airports:

• Hangzhou Xiaoshan: the taxi pick-up area for Terminal 3 is outside Gate 14 on the arrivals level, and for Terminal 4 it is at the walkway between T4 and the Ground Transportation Center, level F1.
• Chengdu Tianfu: taxis wait outside Gate G02 at Terminal 1 and Gate G04 at Terminal 2, both on the ground level.
• Xi'an Xianyang, Terminal 5: taxis and ride-hailing cars pick up at a designated area in the integrated transport hub on the east side of the terminal; follow the signs.
• Guangzhou Baiyun: since 7 May 2026, the domestic airlines that used Terminal 1 fly from Terminal 3, so do not look for a Terminal 1 rank. At Baiyun Terminal 2 and at Shenzhen Bao'an, follow the taxi signs from the arrivals hall to the queue.

The main thing to avoid is the "black car" (黑车, hēichē): an unlicensed car whose driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall or at the station exit, often with a lanyard or a sign, saying "taxi?". These cars have no meter, and the price is whatever the driver asks at the end. Airports are a known target. On a single day of checks at Beijing Capital Airport's Terminals 2 and 3 in January 2024, Beijing's transport enforcement team inspected 401 vehicles and found 23 violations, including illegal ride-hailing and drivers without a taxi licence.

The rule that keeps you safe is simple: walk past anyone who approaches you, follow the taxi signs, and join the queue. Real taxi drivers wait in the queue; they do not come into the hall to find you. For ride-hailing, go only to the pick-up area the app shows, which at many airports is in a car park building away from the taxi rank. Our airport-to-city transfer guide compares taxis with airport trains and buses at ten major airports, and the Beijing airports guide and Shanghai airports guide cover those terminals in more detail. For railway stations, the taxi rank is usually signposted from the exit and is often underground; our train station guide explains the layout.

If you are landing late at night with children or a lot of luggage and would rather not queue, you can book a private transfer in advance through Klook, so a driver meets you in the arrivals hall.

Detours, refused rides and lost items: what to do

Most taxi rides go without a problem. When something does go wrong, the receipt and the car's number are what get it fixed.

Get the receipt, or note the car details

Ask for a receipt (发票, fāpiào) at the end of every ride, or photograph the details. In Shanghai the printed ticket shows the fare, pick-up and drop-off times, the driver's licence number, the distance and the waiting time. Shanghai drivers must give you a receipt or tell you how to download an electronic one, and every Shanghai taxi must display a passenger notice on the back of the driver's seat with the licence plate, company name, company phone number and the supervision hotline. A photo of that notice, taken as you get in, gives you everything you need to complain or to track down a lost bag.

Detours and meter tricks

Drivers must take a reasonable route and may not deliberately go the long way, refuse a fare, haggle or drop you mid-trip; breaking these rules can bring a fine of 200 to 500 yuan from the local taxi authority. If the driver does not use the meter, keeps driving with a broken meter, will not give a receipt, or refuses to accept a card payment where the rules require it, national rules say you have the right to refuse to pay. Beijing's taxi regulations add that drivers must give change when it is needed and may not ask for anything beyond the metered fare.

The easiest way to spot a detour is to follow the route on your phone's map during the ride. If the car is clearly going the wrong way, show the driver your map; most route problems are misunderstandings about which entrance or which road. If the driver insists on a flat price, refuses to start the meter, or the meter jumps far faster than the distance, get out at a safe place and take another car.

Where to complain

Do not argue at length in the car. Take the details and complain afterwards:

• 12328 is the Ministry of Transport's transport service hotline, which handles taxi complaints and is run by each city's transport department. See the Ministry of Transport's notice on the 12328 hotline. Expect to be answered in Chinese.
• 12345 is each city's public service hotline for non-emergency complaints and help; emergencies go to 110. It is the better choice if you need English. Beijing's 12345 offers English and nine other foreign languages, Shanghai's runs 24 hours with 18 foreign languages, and Chengdu's has an English line. In other cities, check whether the local 12345 has a foreign-language option when you call.
• 110 is the police. Call it if you feel unsafe, if a driver threatens you, or if the driver will not let you out of the car.

Lost something in a taxi

Act quickly and start with the taxi company, whose name and phone number are on the receipt or the seat-back notice. In Shanghai, a driver who finds a passenger's belongings must tell the company and return them or hand them in. In other cities, call the company on your receipt first, then ask your hotel to call 12345 for you with the plate number and the time of the ride. Without a receipt or plate number, the chance of getting an item back drops sharply; that is the strongest reason to take a photo of the passenger notice as you get in.

For other tricks aimed at visitors, see our guide to tourist scams in China.

Ride-hailing apps: when they beat a taxi

A ride-hailing app solves the two main problems with street taxis. DiDi (滴滴, Dīdī) offers an English version that you can register with a foreign phone number, and it translates messages between you and the driver into Chinese or English. It accepts international bank cards, among other payment methods, and has in-app English customer service around the clock. If you would rather not install another app, Shanghai's English government guide notes that DiDi also runs inside WeChat (under Services) and inside Alipay, with the fare charged automatically to that wallet after the ride. You can type the destination in English and see the price before you confirm, so you never have to explain the address out loud.

It also adds some safety tools. DiDi lets you share the trip, including the plate number and the car's live location, with friends or family, and its "110" alarm button sends a message with your trip details and location to your emergency contacts. DiDi's 24-hour emergency line for passengers is +86 400 0000 999; for help in English, the in-app customer service chat is the surer channel.

Amap (高德地图, Gāodé Dìtú), the map app, has an English version that can book a ride by sending the request to several ride-hailing platforms at once, and shows the pick-up point and an estimated fare in English. It is a good backup when DiDi cannot find a car.

When to use which, in short: an app is better for unfamiliar destinations, late nights in quiet areas and paying by card; a street taxi is better at a rank, when there are empty cars passing and when your phone has no data. For sign-up, payment set-up and finding your car at the curb, read our full DiDi guide for foreigners. If you are travelling alone at night, our female solo travel guide covers night transport choices.

Before your first taxi ride

Street taxis in China are metered, regulated and the quickest option when one is in front of you. Have your destination in Chinese, check the meter is running, pay by Alipay or WeChat Pay with cash as a backup, and keep the receipt or a photo of the seat-back notice. At airports and stations, only use the official queue and ignore anyone who approaches you. Fares differ by city and rise at night and on long trips; the rate posted in the car is the one that applies. When language or payment is a problem, book through DiDi or Amap instead. Next step: link your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay and save your hotel's Chinese address before you land.

Last updated: October 2026