Personal anecdote from my first trip to Xian, in 2013: We arrived on one of the last flights of the day. My female companion, who is quite gregarious, spotted a Western couple that looked lost, and offered to share a taxi into the city. The four of us took a regulated taxi from the rank, and the ride was metered. Nevertheless, the driver took us on the scenic route, all on expressways, that ended up being 1 hour long (at around midnight, with no traffic) and a 250 RMB fare. During the ride, I began sensing something was wrong when I noticed few lights outside (we were supposed to be heading into the city, not out). So I used my google map app to trace where we were. We then discussed our strategy, in English, about what to do when we finally get to the hostel. It turned out to be a very short argument in front of the hostel. We threatened to get the hostel night manager involved, and the young guy driver agreed to settle for 150 RMB, which is really what the normal cab fare should be. I would have given him 200 RMB because I actually felt sorry for him, but since there were four of us, 150 it was.