FAQs: About Travelling in and out of China: within the city travels: Travel by Taxi
Postet av Nations Abroad Consulting LTD den 23. Okt 2013
Beijing Taxi:
The taxi industry in Beijing is very well developed and you will find taxis everywhere in the city. At present, there are about 67,000 taxis in Beijing! The car types vary, and include Citroen AZ, Volkswagen Jetta, and Sonata; Elantra and Citroen AZ (Fukang) being the most common types.
In Beijing, almost all the taxis are new cars, but the colors of the taxis under different companies vary: these can be green, red, purple and blue, and they usually feature a yellow stripe across the middle.
On the roof of each taxi, there is an indicator lamp stating 'TAXI', and a license plate starting with '京B' on the front of the car. If the taxi is unoccupied, a label with the red symbol '空车 (loosely translated as "empty car ")' in the middle of the front window of the taxi will be up. After you get in, the taxi driver will drop the 'empty car' label indicating the taxi is occupied. The rates are clearly displayed on each of the rear windows of the taxis, showing price by kilometer (per 0.62 mile). Inside the car, an official driver should display the Service Supervisor Card and his identification card displaying his photo, name, and company in the front of the cab.
The taxi driver, who along with his or her warm personality, is an excellent ambassador for presenting the rich culture of the city. Beijing taxi drivers can be warm,friendly, posses a genuine interest in learning about other cultures and very helpful in terms of helping you find here you are going. Of course this is the ideal driver but sometimes some taxi drivers as is in any part of the world can be rude, not too well groomed,indifferent and discriminative as to the types of passengers he would stop for.Some taxi drivers in Beijing can speak a little English, while most cannot. When taking a taxi, we suggest that you firstly show a card/paper/text with the address to your destination to the driver if you are unable to speak Chinese..
The fare for a Beijing taxi ride is rated by taximeter, starting with the initial fee or 'flag-down price' of CNY 13. The flag down price includes an initial distance of 3 kilometers (1.86 miles). After the initial distance is traveled, an additional unit fare for each kilometer traveled is calculated and added to the flag down price. The unit fare is CNY 2.00 per additional kilometer.
When taking a taxi, you are quite within your rights to demand that the driver use the taximeter, and to ask for an invoice when leaving the taxi. The invoices are printed with the plate number of the taxi, the company and the complaint telephone number, and this helps to safeguard your rights or find your lost things in case you leave anything behind in the taxi. If a taxi is not metered, the driver will be fined in accordance with the seriousness, ranging from CNY 100 to CNY 2,000.
Once the driver says the taximeter does not work, you should take another taxi.There are 'No Smoking' signs in the taxis. The taxi drivers are not allowed to smoke in the taxi; as a passenger, you should not smoke and the driver will also discourage you from smoking. Once drivers smoke in taxis, passengers may take a photo by using mobile phones as evidence, and complain to Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau. The drivers will have to pay CNY 100 or 200 as a fine. If you are dissatisfied with the service, you may complain to the relevant administrative department.
Taxi Companies Hot Line Service: 010-68351150, 68351570
Do not take a taxi which has no license. It is recommended that you should reject the cruising taxis and the drivers who tell you the total charge of your trip in advance of your ride for these taxis are always illegal, popularly known as (hei che)"black taxis" which may not always be black in color.. If you arrive in Beijing by train, there is a taxi rink just in front of the Beijing Railway Station.
There are usually some unlicensed taxis around the station, which do not have taximeters, and may refuse to offer service if your destination is within the flag-down distance. If you encounter this problem, you should go out of the station square and across the street to take a taxi.
Many legitimate taxis wait on the COFCO Plaza for passengers. In Beijing West Railway Station and in most airport terminals, taxis are berthed in an underground hall, queued up for passengers. These taxis are not allowed to refuse to serve the customers, regardless of distance.
www.beijingtrip.com/transport/taxi.html
license plate starting with '京B'
Article compiled by, Danielle Russell
Visit www.daniellegoestoschoolinchina.wordpress.com
The taxi industry in Beijing is very well developed and you will find taxis everywhere in the city. At present, there are about 67,000 taxis in Beijing! The car types vary, and include Citroen AZ, Volkswagen Jetta, and Sonata; Elantra and Citroen AZ (Fukang) being the most common types.
In Beijing, almost all the taxis are new cars, but the colors of the taxis under different companies vary: these can be green, red, purple and blue, and they usually feature a yellow stripe across the middle.
On the roof of each taxi, there is an indicator lamp stating 'TAXI', and a license plate starting with '京B' on the front of the car. If the taxi is unoccupied, a label with the red symbol '空车 (loosely translated as "empty car ")' in the middle of the front window of the taxi will be up. After you get in, the taxi driver will drop the 'empty car' label indicating the taxi is occupied. The rates are clearly displayed on each of the rear windows of the taxis, showing price by kilometer (per 0.62 mile). Inside the car, an official driver should display the Service Supervisor Card and his identification card displaying his photo, name, and company in the front of the cab.
The taxi driver, who along with his or her warm personality, is an excellent ambassador for presenting the rich culture of the city. Beijing taxi drivers can be warm,friendly, posses a genuine interest in learning about other cultures and very helpful in terms of helping you find here you are going. Of course this is the ideal driver but sometimes some taxi drivers as is in any part of the world can be rude, not too well groomed,indifferent and discriminative as to the types of passengers he would stop for.Some taxi drivers in Beijing can speak a little English, while most cannot. When taking a taxi, we suggest that you firstly show a card/paper/text with the address to your destination to the driver if you are unable to speak Chinese..
The fare for a Beijing taxi ride is rated by taximeter, starting with the initial fee or 'flag-down price' of CNY 13. The flag down price includes an initial distance of 3 kilometers (1.86 miles). After the initial distance is traveled, an additional unit fare for each kilometer traveled is calculated and added to the flag down price. The unit fare is CNY 2.00 per additional kilometer.
When taking a taxi, you are quite within your rights to demand that the driver use the taximeter, and to ask for an invoice when leaving the taxi. The invoices are printed with the plate number of the taxi, the company and the complaint telephone number, and this helps to safeguard your rights or find your lost things in case you leave anything behind in the taxi. If a taxi is not metered, the driver will be fined in accordance with the seriousness, ranging from CNY 100 to CNY 2,000.
Once the driver says the taximeter does not work, you should take another taxi.There are 'No Smoking' signs in the taxis. The taxi drivers are not allowed to smoke in the taxi; as a passenger, you should not smoke and the driver will also discourage you from smoking. Once drivers smoke in taxis, passengers may take a photo by using mobile phones as evidence, and complain to Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau. The drivers will have to pay CNY 100 or 200 as a fine. If you are dissatisfied with the service, you may complain to the relevant administrative department.
Taxi Companies Hot Line Service: 010-68351150, 68351570
Do not take a taxi which has no license. It is recommended that you should reject the cruising taxis and the drivers who tell you the total charge of your trip in advance of your ride for these taxis are always illegal, popularly known as (hei che)"black taxis" which may not always be black in color.. If you arrive in Beijing by train, there is a taxi rink just in front of the Beijing Railway Station.
There are usually some unlicensed taxis around the station, which do not have taximeters, and may refuse to offer service if your destination is within the flag-down distance. If you encounter this problem, you should go out of the station square and across the street to take a taxi.
Many legitimate taxis wait on the COFCO Plaza for passengers. In Beijing West Railway Station and in most airport terminals, taxis are berthed in an underground hall, queued up for passengers. These taxis are not allowed to refuse to serve the customers, regardless of distance.
www.beijingtrip.com/transport/taxi.html
license plate starting with '京B'Article compiled by, Danielle Russell
Visit www.daniellegoestoschoolinchina.wordpress.com
Apply with Nations Abroad now and let us find you a premier teaching position in China and give you a chance to experience an adventure you will not soon forget! visit www.nationsabroad.com and view what positions are open for you now!!
FAQs: About Travelling in and out of China: within the city travels:Travel by bus
Postet av Nations Abroad Consulting LTD den 12. Okt 2013
Beijing Bus
If you want to explore the true color of Beijing, travel about the city by bus. Taste the real flavor of Beijing city by the local public transport. However, It is difficult to use at first if you don't understand Chinese.
Few bus staff speak little English, though there are some bus lines in the city center that broadcast stop names in pinyin (system used to transliterate Chinese words and sounds into the Roman Alphabet). Bus stop signs are also entirely in Chinese.While traveling in Beijing China, keep a map of the bus routes you frequently use.
Bus Routes
Bus transport in Beijing is cheap, convenient and covers the entire city, Beijing buses are numbered 1-999 . There are presently over 500 bus routes crisscrossing the city. It is estimated that the city operates
over 20,000 buses! - Buses numbered 1 to 100 operate within the 3rd ring road.
- 200-212 offer only night time travel 300s travel through the suburbs
- 400s travel from downtown out to the suburbs 600s – 700s travel through residential areas
- 900s connect Beijing with its "rural" districts(Changping, Yanqing, Shunyi, Miyun, etc) that are not considered part of Beijing proper.
Most bus fares are relatively cheap! For passengers paying by cash:
- Lines 1-199 operate on a flat rate of ￥1 per journey.
- Lines 300-899 charge ￥1 for the first 12 km of each journey and ￥0.5 for each additional 5 km. Buses with air-condition (800-899) start at ￥2.
- The night buses (200-299) charge ￥2 per journey.
- Lines 1-499 operate on a flat rate of ￥0.40 per journey.
- Lines 500-899 get 60% off the cash price.There are also 3-day, 7-day and 15-day passes available for travelers.There is no return ticket or day ticket.
Improvements to Beijing's bus system over the last 5years include the installation of IC card readers on some routes,bus lanes and the introduction of many low-emission buses.A lot of these were done in time for the 2008 Olympic Games. Pinyin for all the bus stops along the bus' route will also be displayed.
Some buses are equipped with electronic display panels which announce the upcoming bus stop in pinyin.Many buses now feature air-conditioning (heating in winter),TVs, a scrolling screen that displays stops in Chinese,and a broadcast system that announces stops.
If you are having problems navigating the bus system,call the English-speaking operators at the Beijing Public Transportation Customer Helpline(96166).
Beijing Bus Operating Hours
Most buses with a line number under 200 run daily from 5:00 to 23:00.Buses with a line number greater than 300 run from 6AM till 10PM.All buses with a line number in the 200s are night buses.Many routes get very crowded during rush hours(6:30AM-9AM and 5PM-9PM).
On all major holidays, there will be more frequent service on most city routes.
http://www.beijing-travels.com/beijing_guide/bus/
compiled by Danielle Russell
Visit : www.daniellegoestoschoolinchina.wordpress.com
Apply with Nations Abroad now and let us find you a premier teaching position in China and give you a chance to experience an adventure you will not soon forget!
visit www.nationsabroad.com and view what positions are open for you now!!