How to take a Taxi

Taking a taxi in Nanchang is quite straight forward. You can hail a taxi almost anywhere, though some roads are restricted during peak traffic hours. If you find that taxi after taxi passes you by then walk on a bit to try and find a place where it may be more convenient for them to stop.

If you don't know how to say your destination in Chinese then make sure you have it written down, either on paper or stored in your mobile phone (both in English so you can read it and in Chinese so the driver can). Try to get businesscards of places you are likely to visit and carry them around with you. Failing that have a Chinese-speaking friend on speed dail and let them tell the driver where you want to go.

Drivers may occasionally refuse to take you to your destination but usually this is because of a shift change. It is usually quite easy to find a taxi but at certain times, suc as rush hour, you will probably need to wait for quite a while, particulalrly on some of the main roads. It can also be hard to find a taxi when it's raining.

It is unlikely, though not impossible, that a driver may try to take you the long way round or cheat you in some other way. The most difficult trick in taking taxis is to not get taken on the long route and ripped off. In order to minimize your chances of being taken advantage of:

Never agree to a pre-set price offered to you by a driver, it is almost certainly more than what the meter would cost.

If you can, ask the cab driver if they know the destination before you set off. If they don't then find a driver that does. If they say they know but it turns out that they actually don't you should not be expected to pay extra while they drive around looking for your destination. Ask for a reciept at the end of the journey. You can then complain if you feel the driver has cheated you. Many times a driver will apologise and charge you less than what is on the meter though.

Try not to look like a toursit. Give the impression that you know where you are going and if you can then rehearse saying the name of the place a few times before you get in the cab, and say it like you've said it a thousand times before.

Always ask for a reciept. These are printed out and will have the driver's number, the journey time and cost. On it you will find contact information for making complaints. This maight also prove useful if you've left something in a taxi.

However, the majority of taxi drivers are very polite and friendly and will happily let you practice your Chinese on them, or try out their English on you. And like taxi drivers the world over, they are not short of opinions on everything under the sun, nor are they backwards at coming forwards with them. Sme of the most entertaining and interesting conversations you can have in China can often be had with taxi drivers.

Finally, be warned...many taxi drivers are not known for following the rules of the road and you may find yourself on the wrong side of the road with a bus heading straight for you or some other equally hair-raising experience. If you are a nervous passenger, sit in the back and try to think happy thoughts!