Originally Posted by
aztimm
So I have a question on using Didi... are the estimates the app gives reliable?
I can go from Shanghai Hongqiao station to the Hilton Suzhou for about Y340 and it takes about an hour. Seems much more direct, and just a hair more expensive, than taking a train to Suzhou then Didi from Suzhou station (and the transit time from Suzhou station to the Hilton is listed at an hour!)
To me this seems like a no-brainer. About US$50 and get dropped at the door.
Do drivers know the trip in advance? So they'd know what they're in for before picking me up?
The estimates are usually pretty accurate, especially on longer trips, but traffic, and sub-optimal routes are variables that can throw things off. Yes, drivers know the drip in advance; when you enter your destination into the app, it gets sent to them as part of your request. If you're not going to take a train, why would you go to the train station (very annoying place to get a car)?