Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flag fall is ¥10, and lasts for three kilometres. After that it's ¥2 per kilometre.
Drivers also add a small flat-rate fuel surcharge (usually ¥3). Rates increase
slightly at night.
Drivers rarely speak any English so it is important to have the name and ad-
dress of where you want to go written down in Chinese characters. And al-
ways remember to keep your hotel's business card on you so you can get
home easily at the end of the night.
By law, taxi drivers must use their meter ( dabiao). If they refuse, get out and
find another cab to catch. The exception is for those long, out-of-town trips to,
for example, the Great Wall, where prices are agreed (but not paid for!) before-
hand.
For taxi companies in Beijing,
Click here
.
Car
See
Click here
for more information on car rentals.
The
Vehicle Administration Office
( cheguansuo; 6453 0010;
9am-6pm),
on the 1st floor of Terminal 3 at Beijing's Capital Airport - look out
for the 'Traffic Police' sign - issues temporary driving licences for use within
the Beijing municipality.
Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 70 and must hold a tempor-
ary Chinese visa (of three months or less). The straightforward procedure
takes about 30 minutes and costs ¥10.
Bus
Beijing's buses ( gonggong qiche) have always been numerous and dirt cheap
(from ¥1), but they're now becoming easier to use for non-Chinese-speaking
visitors, with swipe cards, announcements in English, and bus stop signs writ-
ten in Pinyin as well as Chinese characters.
If you use a
travel card
(see subway section), you get 60% discount on all
journeys. Useful routes include:
2
Qianmen, north on Dongdan Beidajie, Dongsi Nandajie, Dongsi Beidajie, Lama
Temple, Zhonghua Minzu Yuan (Ethnic Minorities Park), Asian Games Village
4
Runs along Chang'an Jie, Jianguomenwai Dajie and Jianguomennei Dajie, Gong-
zhufen, Junshi Bowuguan, Muxidi, Xidan, Tian'anmen Xi, Dongdan, Yong'anli, Bawang-
fen, Sihuizhan
