Originally Posted by
stephem
Just back from my first trip to Hangzhou and I actually thought the taxi situation was a pain in the neck. First off, the taxi stand at the train station is quite tough to find, it's down an escalator when you come out of the station and the sign isn't visable until you are halfway down the escalator! We walked around on the main level for a bit before trying downstairs. Then the taxi drivers are a real pain. They wont just let the meter run, so we had to walk by two or three to get anything approaching (what seemed like) reasonable. The next day when we got in a cab with the meter running we realized how cheap the taxis should have been from the train station. The taxis are also often on "shift change" when you need one, and I found you have to pretty much wave a 100Y note at them to get one during those times.
Yes, the first time to HZ station can be confusing. Remember to go to the bottom level for taxis. I never have this problem with taxis in HZ. They always use the meter and are usually very social. People from HZ are really proud of their city. The taxi stand at HZ is long but usually has lots of cabs. People will ask you for a fake taxi but they always quote more than real taxis. I can't imagine a train station - west lake ride being more than 30rmb. I went the other day from the west bus station to the main station for 36 and its a lot further.
I don't go to Suzhou often but if I recall correctly the station is under construction and the taxi signs are only in Chinese and hard to spot. The HZ station is much more central too. And neither of these places have a metro because the land is soft and lots of people have died in the construction process