just use this thread
 

Guys, while I try my best to reply to all pms/emails, since the volume of inquiries stemming from this thread is rather high and growing, I'm posting to encourage you to use the info contained herein yourselves.

You have names, phone numbers, car descriptions, and reference prices. Sure, I am probably in a better position to call/negotiate than the average bloke, but it's really not that hard.

As such, I'd like to suggest the following plan of attack:

1) search this thread for drivers that interest you
2) make a list
3) if you speak Chinese, fund your skype/google accounts and call the drivers directly --- if not, get someone else to call them (e.g. hotel concierge)

I want everyone to understand that me calling them is unlikely to result in a superior rate because I've met most of these people one time only. I simply collect business cards from drivers that rub me the right way.

Beijing airport transfer/driver&guide service
 

Hi everyone -

I just got back from a few days in Beijing and wanted to share a recommendation for airport transfers and a driver/guide service. I arrived with my sister's entire family (so that's 3 adults, 2 kids, and 6 big suitcases) and we needed to get to our hotel in Chaoyang. After a lot of review reading on TripAdvisor, I contacted a "Catherine Lu" via email to arrange airport transport. For 350 rmb a driver met us at the baggage exit and drove us to our hotel; we used the service on the return trip as well. Neither driver spoke english, but we had Ms. Lu's phone number. The vehicles were large minivans that fit us and the luggage comfortably, and the drivers were courteous and safe.

You can read the reviews and get contact info at
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...u-Beijing.html

I also arranged a day trip to the Great Wall (Mutiayu) and Summer Palace through her, with an english-speaking guide. We paid 900 rmb for the full-day van/driver and 500 rmb for the guide. The guide's english was very good and she was also great with the kids (7 and 10). I would use this service again.

Seeking help
 

Hi all,
I just arrived in PEK yesterday (sans my bag thanks to United :mad:) and I would like to book a car/driver to take me to Jinshanling GW and back. I want them to wait for me for quite a few hours while I hike the wall.

I would love to read 10 pages of this thread but the internet connection in this hotel is crap at best so I can't load all the pages. Can someone PM me info on how I can book an inexpensive car to take me from the JW Marriott to Jinshanling, wait and then take me back? I don't need a tour guide and the driver doesn't have to speak English. I literally just want them to take me there and back.

I could go through the hotel concierge but I'm sure that will be 2x-3x more costly than a private car that one of you might be able to recommend.

I appreciate the input in advance.

-RM

Well, if you're going solo, and on a weekend, Beijing Hikers may well prove to be your best bet... and they will surely bring you to a site more interesting than Jingshanling.

Apart from that, I suggest you search within this thread using common car names (e.g. Sonota, Passat, Nissan) as search terms; this should lead you to individual posts with relevant info.

Try this and see if it helps: Go to "MyFlyerTalk" and under "Settings and Options" go to "Edit Options" and from there go all the way to the bottom under the Miscellaneous Options section and make sure the "Hide Facebook Connect" box is checked. Default for FT is to have it unchecked. Sometimes unchecked, it increases the hang time of the site loading in China.

Also when you have time, try a recent version of different major browsers (except Google Chrome): Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera. Sometimes there's a difference in how quickly FT loads on each.

do not use Zhou Guang as driver
 

[QUOTE=moondog;16419435]

Having gotten that preamble out of the way, here's another driver who I chanced upon yesterday that deserves props within our community:

Mr. Zhou (Guang)
13011097572

He drives a fairly new (2010+) Passat, which I found to be a step up from a Sonota and no worse than an A6. I asked him (in Chinese) if he spoke English and he replied (in Chinese), "a little." His current Mutianyu rate is y700. I asked him if he'd consider y500, and he laughed at me.


Last week, Oct. 9, I had the concierge at the Cap Ren call Zhou and set up a drive to Mutianyu with no shopping stops. Just drive us there, wait, and drive back dropping us off at one of the hutong streets. The price was to be RMB 750.

When we went down to get in the car at 7:30 am, it was a taxi and driver, and a girl named Deena who spoke English. I did not ask for a guide/girl. I told her we wanted to be driven to Mutianyu, wait a few hours, drive us back to Beijing with no shopping. On the drive, Deena was very chatty about Beijing, her job as a guide during the Olympics, etc.

As we're on the way to the Wall I do not see any road signs that say Mutianyu. When we got there, I don't know where she took us. Maybe Badaling? I could see the large part of the wall across the parking lot, but there were no cable cars and not many people on the Wall. I asked her about it and Deena said there was an accident last week, tourists, were killed, so the cable car is gone. Yea, right. What a crock of s#*t.

We gave her 100 for 2 tickets which she bought, she walked a bit with us, and we started climbing the Wall. It was a steep, narrow section leading up to towers. It was a hard climb, quite exhilarating. Great views up high. But I don't think it was Mutianyu.

After a few hours we head back to Beijing. The taxi leaves the main road and we pull into a jade factory. I emphatically said no and we refused to get out of the car. Next we drove near the Birdsnest Stadium and stopped to take pictures of it from behind a fence. Deena said we couldn't go closer because there was a bicycle race going on with lots of security. More bulls#*t.

Then she stops at a place near the Olympic site called Mr. Tea for a government sponsored demo on Chinese tea. We did sample the teaand use the bathroom, but bought nothing. Third b.s. moment.

She suggested a local lunch, we stop in front of a restaurant with tour buses in front, go in , and there is a show with singing and dancing for the tourists while they eat. We told her we did not want to eat there, we walked out, and we told her to take us to the hutong with no more stops. Her attitude changed dramatically. Lots of angry words with the taxi driver. No more chatting with us.

She stops at the hutong street, tells us we owe the taxi RMB500. We pay the driver and just turn our backs and walk away from her. I know she was waiting to get paid something, but I didn't ask for her or need her.

Mr. Zhou was not there. He churned us to someone else. I was pissed as seeing the Great Wall at Mutianyu was the number one thing on my list of things to do in Beijing. Although the air was so bad we probably would not have seen much.

Bad Zhou.

Susie (and others): that switcharoo drill is not uncommon (as you will note from prior posts in this thread). It's up to you guys to be diligent about it when it arises. The language barrier thing isn't really a valid excuse any more, now that hotel staffs tend to speak decent English. If you're waiting for a Passat and an Elantra (or a different Passat) shows up, be strong, and grab a taxi off the street, if need be.

I suspected that, in spite of all of your advance planning, you'd be let down at least once during your journey, but don't sweat it; sometimes, learning in the field is necessary.

We went to Mutiayu from the Hilton. Asked the concierge how much a taxi should be for a day. He told us 600, and then went outside and got us one for that price. He told the driver where we wanted to go, and to wait for us. Nice car, no English, but a great trip none the less. He waited for us, pointed out sights along the way (so we couldn't understand him, it was still interesting) and drove us back. Great experience.

Any recent updates for Driver and/or Guide.

I'll be in Beijing this week and would like someone for day.

Thanks in advance.

Like I suggested to you via PM, you might want to work this thread from newest to oldest and make a few phone calls. Alternatively, you could pursue the "any random taxi" strategy. And, I continue to recommend Beijing Hikers for parties of 1-2 people (doesn't pencil for larger groups, but you can copy their hikes).

yup, I contacted a couple, but no avail.

.

Considering BJ hikers used to charge y150 for the same hike, y330 is a lot of money. But, for two of you, you're looking at y700 all in, including getting to/from Lido, and lunch (I'm presuming they pay for lunch). But, the focus of the hike in question really isn't the great wall, although most people hit a few towers after lunch. Some friends went to Huanghua recently and told me that conditions were borderline dangerous in parts of the loop, so maybe that's why they're not doing the loop this time of year.

Brief tangent, when they finished, they were confronted with a locked gate AND dozens of scary dogs chained to fences on either side of the path on leashes that were just long enough to keep them from contacting my friends. Suffice it to say, they were forced to pay y20 each order to get the gate to open. You gotta love China.

Back on topic, these guys took a regular taxi up there and let the meter run the entire time and the total price was y670 (Huanghua is kind of close, I guess). I'm sure they could have negotiated it down to y500 or even less (they didn't know).

Just hire a taxi if worst comes to worst. Whenever I meet someone I like, I post their numbers here now as a matter of practice.

As an aside, I'm not sure if you're in BJ yet, but if you are, you probably realize that it is bitter cold in town today and presumably wicked cold up on the wall. Frankly, if I was visiting BJ this week and it wasn't a once in a lifetime affair, I'd focus on indoor activities as much as possible.

Wow yes, today was wicked horrible cold and windy--probably coldest day of year so far. Way below freezing and the Wall will be even worse. So visitors, either forego and hit the Museums, or bundle up like an Eskimo.

On the subject of drivers, couple of days ago I was near the Holiday Inn Express on Chunxiu Lu about 10:30 am, unsuccessfully trying to find an empty taxi, when a black car pulled up and asked where I was going. I was in a bit of a hurry and told him--he wanted RMB 20 (taxi would have been about 12-13 all-in, it wasn't that far), but he did agree on RMB 15 once I started speaking Chinese to him. A "hei che" (illegal cab) but turns out he was a nice guy and gave me his business card.

Mr. Li Jin Guo, 135-2125-2857 has a regular German car (the one that I encountered) which is nice and very clean and easily OK for 2-3 adult passengers. Don't remember the model. Asked him what his price to Mutianyu was round-trip and he said RMB 600 which is pretty much standard, including wait time. He also works with two other vehicles/drivers and the pride and joy is a big Buick which looks like a cross between an SUV and a Van. Also don't know the model (I'm not a car person!) That one is RMB 800 for a rental. Also does airport pickups and drops, daily rentals, and other short and long distance traveling. No English, but if you can manage Chinese give him a call--I got a decent vibe off of him.

Buick GL 8.