iahphx: I´ve never bothered to use the shared cabs, only heard about their method from Chinese friends. Other than that, it´s all just up on your bargaining skills, supply and demand.

I normally ask a fluent Mandarin speaker to call a taxi company in advance and negotiate the price, and they do vary a lot. I´d guess the normal quote you get for Suzhou - Pu Dong would be around 500 RMB, but as said you could get away with 300 again depending on circumstances.

A driver familiar with the route gets you there in about 1,5 - 2 hrs if traffic is not especially jammed. During rush hour or after accidents you might add another 30 mins to an hour extra. I would advice to leave Suzhou four hrs before your flight.

The bus as such is comfortable and reaches both tourist and business areas in Suzhou but the Pu Dong bus terminal has poor accessibility from the main terminal and you are exposed to the weather on your way in.