Taxi in Beijing

Foreign visitors to Beijing can usually afford to take a taxi everywhere they want to go.  The price ranges from 10 - 35 RMB for most destinations.  Airport can set you back up to 140 RMB.  Still, when you convert it back into local currency is still cheaper than most places in the world.  The main problem is communication.  Be prepared to have your destination written in Chinese characters to hand to the driver.  English is almost non-existent and even place names all have their own unique Chinese name.

There are at least 3 prices of Taxi in Beijing.  They are priced according to the rate per kilometer.

1.20 RMB  The cheapest taxi you can find, pretty small, but gets you where you want to go.  Comfort and quality of ride varies from awful to not too bad.  The car brand is Xiali, (Chinese, of course).

1.60 RMB  At this price range you can get a reasonably new Citroen or Volkswagen.  The car is a bit bigger, a bit faster, is likely to have suspension and the air conditioning will probably work better.  Still a very compact car by U.S. standards.

2.00 RMB  This is their best taxi ?  At least, the most expensive. The cars are likely to be old, black, biggish, the driver likely to have some customer service and even some English skills (ok, still rare).  They are likely to drive carefully too.

The taxi price is displayed inconveniently in the corner of the rear left or right right side window.  The trick is to know the types of cars so you can study the pictures of 120's and 160's above carefully !!  When you get really good, you can do this at night by headlights alone at a considerable distance.  :-)  Note, the car types and prices never vary, so if you see this kind of Citroen or Volkswagen you can be sure it is a 160, and same with the little Xiali's, they will always be 120's .

When you get in the taxi and agree upon where you are going, the driver should drop the lever thus taking the sign out of the window so other potential customers can see it is already occupied.  In the photo below left, the lever has been put down and removed from the window, the meter should then start.

At this time, the 10.00 RMB price should appear in the meter, 11.00 RMB late at night, around 11 or 12pm.  This price will take you quite some distance in Beijing, then the price will steadily increase depending on the Taxi Type you chose (see Taxi Tip 1).  If your meter does not look like the one below soon after you start moving it is likely it is not turned on. Start complaining.

If your taxi fare is above 35 RMB you must have gone a very long way.  The most expensive taxi ride you are likely to take is the 45 minute expressway journey from the airport to the city centre which might set you back 80 - 150 RMB depending on the taxi type and includes the expressway toll (about 15 RMB).  We've heard horror stories of people paying up to 400 RMB for this journey. 

Every official taxi should have his license prominently displayed in the front of the cab facing the front passenger seat.  If your taxi has no license displayed, we suggest you find a different taxi.

If the driver says the meter is not working you should also get out and find another taxi.  Also, do not use a taxi where the driver tells you the price of your destination before you get in.  In general, the most likely taxis to give you a fair deal are the ones speeding past you.  Just flag them down.  Parked taxis, who solicit customers, especially around major tourist sites, you should be especially wary of.  If a person walks up to you and asks you if you need a taxi, bluntly refuse, as this person most certainly represents a non-legitimate taxi.

When you complete your journey, the taxi driver will flip the lever back up and a receipt is automatically printed.  Take this for your records.