I have had several issues with taxis not wanting to use the meter. All have been at tourist sites - Pearl Market, Silk Market, Forbidden City. They quote you an outrageous price like 80 RMB for a ride that should be 25 or 30. I could not find a driver willing to take me back to the hotel last May and use the meter. We ended up paying 50RMB to a lady on a motorized bike. She was able to use the bike lanes and got us there much faster than the taxi since the traffic was so bad.