At least some of you are wrong
 

For intercity rides not in their assigned jurisdiction, cabbies DO NOT have to use the meter. In these cases, pricing is strictly by negotiation. It seems that the RMB 1000 price was agreed to explicitly by the OP nodding his assent. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If the ride was worth RMB 1000 to you when you started the journey, you can't change oars midstream.

It is not the cabbies' fault that the OP was in a hurry. The proper thing to do is pay the RMB 1000 and move on. Stiffing the driver is wrong. Welshing on a deal is wrong. Involving the police likely won't get you anywhere in this sort of case.

And for negotiated rides, I never insist the cabbie turn on the meter--if he wants to, fine, his lookout and whether I come out better or worse per the meter, so be it. Negotiated price governs. But once a deal has been agreed, I've never had one cabbie try to go back on it. Anywhere in China.

Just got around to checking this out. My question was about walking away with paying less at PVG airport, where I doubt he would do anything to me. I didn't feel morally obligated to pay 1000 as he did not tell me that price before we left, and once we left I was afraid to fight (on the way).

Also, every minute was crucial for me to make the flight.

In the end I decided to just pay him the full amount.


Thanks guys for all your help.

That was the correct action. And seriously, the metered amount was not going to be that much less for that distance all the way to PVG.

Then, of course, one could take a highspeed train from Hangzhou to Honggiao, Shanghai Main or Shanghai South stations. Speedier than a cab and an easy switch to either a bus or taxi to PVG from those points of entry.

Taxi took me from HGH door to PVG door in 2 hours. My friend BBMd me a Chinese message to show him, which later turned out to say something to the tune of 'if I miss my flight there's no point in paying you'.

Driver was probably more concerned to get you there quick, so you would not
miss your flight. Just thru out a number to cover his/her additional fuel cost
for decreased mpg at high speed travel.

The answer to this riddle lies in the fapiao thread.

That's pretty fast, certainly faster than going to the train station, waiting for a train, taking a train, then grabbing a taxi to PVG from Shanghai Station. Your friend's sms seems to be a bit on the rude side, IMO; I doubt it helped you curry favor with the cabbie.

Perfect example of why China is making so much money.
They want to deliver and get paid without drama. Its not
a "like-ability" contest.

In US if the driver would have received that SMS, they would have immediately pulled over on the freeway and thrown the passenger out.:D

Not to mention a return trip likely empty.

Plus the highway tolls.

My friend insisted it was a polite request to go faster. I'm still not 100% sure if he was kidding originally, or when he explained it to me later. At any rate I won't trust him much anymore:)

Agreed to every word you said, I wouldnt've of used it had I known what it meant, he did seem pretty anxious but did start driving faster.

He did not know I was in a rush until much later in the drive. He started driving fast later.

Had I realized that I wouldntve have even started this thread. I thought it was 200.

OT, but are there any safety concerns when hopping into a random cab for a trip like this? I was pretty concerned, as I speak 0 Chinese, and my BB & iPad were both nearly dead.