How to Get a Taxi in China: DiDi for Foreigners

The short version

Uber does not work in mainland China. Uber sold its China business to DiDi in 2016, and DiDi is now the main ride-hailing app.

Foreign visitors have four easy ways to get a car:

1. The DiDi app in English. Sign up with your home mobile number, add an international card and book in English.
2. DiDi inside Alipay. If you already use Alipay, you can book a ride without installing another app.
3. Amap’s taxi screen, which compares several ride-hailing companies at once, in English.
4. A street taxi. Hail one, make sure the meter runs, and pay by QR code or cash.

You need mobile data for the apps. Set that up before you land. See our China eSIM service.

Which option should you use?

How to set up DiDi as a foreigner

According to DiDi’s own app listing, the app offers an English interface, sign-up with global mobile numbers, English-Chinese translation for messages with drivers, international bank cards and 24/7 English customer service in the app.

1. Download “DiDi China: Ride Hailing” from the App Store or Google Play before you travel.
2. Sign up with your home mobile number. Enter the text message code. Make sure your number can receive texts in China, through roaming or a dual-SIM setup.
3. Set the language to English if the app does not switch automatically.
4. Add a payment method. Link an international Visa or Mastercard, or connect Alipay or WeChat Pay. Your bank may ask you to approve a small check charge.
5. Save your hotel as a favorite place, so you can book your trip home in two taps.

Test the app at home by searching for your hotel address and checking that a fare estimate appears. You cannot book a real ride until you are in China.

How to book a ride

1. Set your destination. Type an English name for well-known places, such as a hotel brand, station or attraction. For smaller places, paste the Chinese name or address.
2. Check the pick-up point. DiDi suggests one. Move the pin to a spot where a car can legally stop. At airports and big stations, use the signed ride-hailing pick-up area.
3. Choose a car type. The standard, cheapest option is usually called “Express”. Larger or premium cars cost more.
4. Confirm the fare estimate and request the ride.
5. Check the car. The app shows the plate number, car color, model and the driver’s name. Match the plate before you get in.
6. Message the driver if needed. Your English messages are translated into Chinese, and the driver’s replies are translated into English.
7. Ride and pay. The fare is charged automatically at the end of the trip. You can rate the driver and get a receipt in the app.

Using DiDi or taxis in Alipay

In Alipay, search for “DiDi” or open the transport section to book a ride. It uses the card you have already linked to Alipay, so it is a good backup if the DiDi app has trouble with your card. See Alipay for foreigners.

Using Amap to call a car

Amap (Gaode) has an English ride-hailing screen that sends your request to several ride-hailing companies at once and shows pick-up points and fare estimates in English. It is useful at busy times, when one company has no cars nearby. See Does Google Maps work in China? for setting up Amap in English.

Street taxis

Metered taxis are everywhere in Chinese cities.

• Hail a taxi with a lit “for hire” sign on the roof or dashboard, or join the official taxi queue at airports, stations and big hotels.
• Show the address in Chinese. Most drivers do not speak English. Keep a screenshot of your hotel’s Chinese name and address.
• Make sure the meter runs. If a driver refuses to use it or quotes a fixed price, find another taxi.
• Pay by QR code or cash. Most taxis show an Alipay or WeChat code. Carry small notes, because drivers may not have change for 100 yuan.
• Ask for a receipt. It shows the taxi’s number, which helps if you leave something behind.

Avoid unofficial drivers who approach you inside airports or train stations. They charge several times the meter fare. The UK government also warns against unmarked or unmetered taxis, where assaults on foreigners have been reported.

How much does a taxi cost in China?

Fares vary by city, time of day and traffic. These rough ranges are for planning only:

Late-night fares and busy periods cost more. Ride-hailing prices rise at peak times, and DiDi shows the estimate before you confirm.

Safety tips

• Match the plate number before you get into a ride-hailing car.
• Share your trip with a friend using the in-app sharing option.
• Sit in the back and wear a seatbelt.
• Use official pick-up points at airports and stations.
• Keep calm in disputes. Arguments over fares can escalate. Pay the metered fare, take a receipt, and report problems through the app or to the police on 110.

More on staying safe: Is China safe for tourists?

Can’t get a taxi? What to do

Sometimes no car accepts your request, or drivers keep cancelling. It happens most at rush hour (about 7:30 to 9:30 and 17:30 to 19:30), in heavy rain, late at night, at big stations and at sights outside the city.

Try these in order

1. Request several car types at once. In DiDi, select Express and the next class up together. You pay only for the car that comes.
2. Use Amap. Its ride-hailing screen sends one request to many companies at once, which often finds a car when one app cannot. See Does Google Maps work in China?
3. Move to a better pick-up point. Walk to a main road, a hotel entrance or a marked pick-up area, away from crowded exits and no-stopping zones. Then move the pin.
4. Hail a street taxi. Look for a lit for-hire sign (空车, kōngchē) on the dashboard or roof, or join the official taxi rank (出租车, chūzūchē).
5. Ask for help. Hotels, restaurants and shop staff can call a car or a local taxi company for you.
6. Take the metro part of the way, then get a car from a less busy area. See how to use the metro in China.

If drivers keep cancelling

• Check your pick-up pin. If it is on an elevated road, inside a pedestrian street or at the wrong side of a station, drivers cancel.
• Send a short message with a landmark, such as “I am at Exit B, next to Starbucks”. DiDi translates it into Chinese.
• Use the Chinese name of your destination. An unclear English name makes drivers decline long or unusual trips.
• Answer the phone or chat. Drivers often call when they arrive, in Chinese. Reply in the chat if you cannot talk.
• Know your last four digits. Drivers often ask for the last four digits of your phone number (尾号, wěihào) to confirm the booking. See DiDi and the last four digits.

Places where it is hard to get a car

For day trips to the Great Wall or other places outside the city, a driver who waits for you is often simpler and safer than hoping for a car back.

When the app does not work

If you are stuck without a car, your personal travel concierge can help on WhatsApp: finding the best pick-up point, messaging the driver in Chinese or calling a taxi for you. If you would rather not deal with rides between the airport, hotel and sights at all, we can arrange a private driver for part or all of your trip.