TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 344

The card's range of other services is ever expanding, and some of the places that it
can be used include: bicycle rental stands around Dongcheng and Chaoyang districts; some
parking stations; Sinopec gas stations; public telephones; some movie cinemas; some loc-
al fitness centers; many supermarkets, including Walmart, Wumart, Jinkelong, and Huali-
an; some convenience or fast food stores, such as Watsons, Quik, McDonald's, KFC, Cold
Stone Creamery, and Holiland bakeries; and even Golden Elephant Pharmacies.
Yikatong cards can be bought and recharged at subway and train stations, as well as
most post offices, some banks (especially CITIC), and some supermarkets. To buy them
you must leave a deposit of RMB20, which you'll get back when you return it (if it's not
damaged), plus at least RMB30 credit. You can load up to a maximum of RMB1,000 and
make a maximum single payment of RMB500. There are designated places to return the
card, which are mentioned on the official website, www.bjsuperpass.com (Chinese only).
If you would like to see your card-use history, visit the website and punch in the 17-digit
number on the front of your card into the search box on the right of the homepage (where
you see 卡查询 ).
TAXIS
Taxis are extremely easy to catch, except in the rain, and this is about the only form of legal
transport you're going to get after 10pm or 11pm. If you don't speak Chinese then make
sure you have the address of where you're going written down in Chinese characters for the
driver. They will be able to read characters, but not necessarily Pinyin. Alternatively, have
the phone number for where you're going so that you can call them and have them direct
the driver.
Some people like to complain that Beijing's taxi drivers are rude or smelly, or both. But,
while like in any city there is the occasional grump, most Beijing drivers are friendly and
hardworking, and either just do their job emotionlessly or are extremely chatty and love it
when they have a foreign passenger who can talk to them. If you don't speak any Chinese
and clearly don't know where you're going, you're raising the risk that they will take you
on a wild goose chase, but this is relatively rare, and there is no need to feel uneasy. If you
do have a significant problem that is worth reporting, write down the driver's ID number,
which is on the console, and remember to try to get a f ā piào (receipt) when you pay.
If you want a taxi for a whole day, you can occasionally bargain with the driver and
agree on a fixed price. They'll keep the meter off and you can pay them at the end of the
day.