About
Taxi
There are approximately 43,000 taxis in Shanghai, belonging to seven privately run companies. The largest and most reliable are the turquoise Da Zhong taxis, the gold Qiangsheng taxis and the light green Bashi taxis. Smaller companies tend to opt for red cars, and some of the darker red taxis tend to be less monitored and trustworthy than the larger firms. All should, however, have meters, which the drivers must start at the beginning of the journey. Pick-up price is ¥11 for the first 3km and then ¥2.1 for any additional kilometres. After 23:00 the pick-up price increases to ¥14 with ¥2.7 charged for additional kilometres.
There are approximately 1,000 taxi ranks dotted around Shanghai, but most cabs are simply hailed on the side of the road. An empty taxi is recognised by a green, lit-up sign saying ‘kong che’ (empty car) on the dashboard. It is generally easy to pick up a taxi, unless it is raining or mid rush-hour when it is practically impossible.
Taxi drivers are primarily born-and-bred Shanghainese and know their city well. They are not, however, used to getting vague instructions, so try and have a definite address to give them, and make sure to have the address written in Chinese characters before you set off (the addresses in this book should help). It is a loss of ‘face’ for a taxi driver to admit he doesn’t know the way, meaning he will often prefer to drive around in circles than to stop and ask for directions; try and keep a map (in Chinese and English) with you, plus a general idea of your route. Try to avoid cabs not from reputable firms. If a driver gives unsatisfactory service then call the complaints hotline on 6323 2150 and quote the driver’s number printed on the back of his seat. For all taxis you can either pay in cash or use your Shanghai Transportation Card.
Taxi Companies
Bashi 96840
Da Zhong 96822
Haibo 96933
Haihong 6516 0897
Jinjiang 96961
Qiangsheng 6258 0000
There are approximately 1,000 taxi ranks dotted around Shanghai, but most cabs are simply hailed on the side of the road. An empty taxi is recognised by a green, lit-up sign saying ‘kong che’ (empty car) on the dashboard. It is generally easy to pick up a taxi, unless it is raining or mid rush-hour when it is practically impossible.
Taxi drivers are primarily born-and-bred Shanghainese and know their city well. They are not, however, used to getting vague instructions, so try and have a definite address to give them, and make sure to have the address written in Chinese characters before you set off (the addresses in this book should help). It is a loss of ‘face’ for a taxi driver to admit he doesn’t know the way, meaning he will often prefer to drive around in circles than to stop and ask for directions; try and keep a map (in Chinese and English) with you, plus a general idea of your route. Try to avoid cabs not from reputable firms. If a driver gives unsatisfactory service then call the complaints hotline on 6323 2150 and quote the driver’s number printed on the back of his seat. For all taxis you can either pay in cash or use your Shanghai Transportation Card.
Taxi Companies
Bashi 96840
Da Zhong 96822
Haibo 96933
Haihong 6516 0897
Jinjiang 96961
Qiangsheng 6258 0000
