Originally Posted by
malloc
I used to always take the Maglev and metro from PVG to avoid all the taxi scammers, at least in the "old days" when you paid for everything in cash.
I have not tried Didi yet, but I understand you actually select the route and set the price upfront, which significantly reduces the chance of getting scammed, also it finds a "random" nearby taxi?
But considering that there is a "official" taxi queue at PVG, how does that work? Does anyone have any experience with that?
Follow-up question is if anyone has tried the Didi app that exists within the Alipay app?
The Didi appli (and the mini appli within Alipay 支付宝) give you a price quote which is close, but not guaranteed. Sometimes its a few yuan more, sometimes a little mess. At the end of the ride you'll be shown the actual price and pay thru the appli.
At every major chinese aeroport, there is an area for taxis, and an area for ride-hailing applis like Didi. The taxis will be closer to the terminal, for the ride-hailing pick-up it is usually a little further away.
I use exclusively the mini appli within Alipay because I can input my destination in English and won't have a language problem with the driver. Because if you say "Holiday Inn Express" to the driver, sometimes they only know the chinese name for the hôtel and the Didi appli is only in 中文.