Taxi or MAGLEV from PVG
 

Hello, I am arriving PVG on a Tuesday mid afternoon. What is the fastest way to get to downtown? Not sure what the traffic situation will be during that time of day.

I would definitely do MAGLEV. Only have done taxi/car service when arriving late.

Not even a remotely close call in regards to speed. MAGLEV is much MUCH faster. And pretty cool too.

Just be careful. When you get off the Maglev, the taxis drivers there are notoriously bad.

Maglev is quite the experience. As others have said, it is often full of tourists, and the taxi folks at the end of the line are always looking to rip people off. If you're going to the Bund or Pudong with a manageable amount of luggage, the Maglev to Metro Line 2 is pretty convenient.

As mentioned, maglev is an experience since the maglev train in Shanghai is the fastest commercial train in operation. Also, it is cheaper than taxi, one-way ticket costs you 50RMB (roughly 7 dollars), taxi for the same distance costs you about 108RMB(￥3.6/km*30km).

As a local Shanghainese, I always take maglev train. The sole disadvantage is that people working in the taxi station next to the maglev station are pretty rude and not nice.

Also, when choosing taxis, do not take any taxis which license plates contain X (those license plates start with 沪BXor沪DX), those taxis are private-owned taxis and are much worse than public-owned taxi companies.

Absolute speed, total time / adventure, and then your budget and style are all factors.

The Maglev is a exciting experience, depending on time you can get 300 KM/HR or 430 KM/HR ride. But the stop is NOWHERE near downtown ending at Longyang Rd stop on Line2. From there you can/must catch a cab or take the Metro but you are looking at another 30' and 100 RMB cab depending on where your final destination is, or navigating the extensive Metro line to get where you need to go.

If this is say rush hour between 5:30pm and 7pm, not sure if you'd want to brave Line2 packed with people, or pay 100-200 RMB for an 30' to 90' taxi into town.
If you arrive and can be on the Maglev before 2pm and thru the city center trains before 5pm crowds shouldn't be too bad with luggage in tow, but good luck doing that after 5:30pm

Land at 3:00pm, arrive at gate 3:15, thru customs 4:00?, luggage 4:15?, walk to Maglev 4:30, at Longyang say 5:00 or so, interesting you might just get thru before rush hour.

As to taxi, there is a taxi line, after you come out of Terminal two, you go downstairs and turn right. Pretty clear where the public taxi is. DO NOT talk to ANYONE offering taxi as you exit luggage! They have a ton of people offering private cars for hire/tax, they look legit. Those guys will cost you 2-4x the rate of the regular taxi

Thanks for the info! Can I purchase MAGLEV and subway ticket with a credit card? Is there a pass that would be less expensive. Only going to be in PVG for 2 days?

Alipay is the way to go in China, I find fewer and fewer places except large western hotels that accept Visa/MC. If you have Unionpay many places accept that, but it is all phone Wechat and Alipay in China.

The best thing is exchange money or use the many ATMs right at the airport to get cash.

For Maglev, yes.
For subway, no. Since subway tickets usually cost you less than a dollar, credit cards cannot be used at subway station, but you can withdraw some cash and use cash for subway tickets.

Showing your boarding pass or itinerary at the ticket counter gets you a fare of RMB40 each way. Or alternatively there's a 7-day return ticket for RMB80. Getting a return can save a few minutes on the way back out to the airport (and can make the difference between catching one train or the next).

Taxi drivers at Longyang Road were so bad and aggressive that I've gone off them completely. I make my way to the main road. Taxi touts at the station were demanding 400RMB last year for a ride to the city 'special flat rate'. When I warned one tourist off taking them the touts became verbally aggressive and even hit the taxi I got in.

The metro is a longer but not terrible option for a few RMB if you don't have large luggage.

Good tip about the umber plates!

Two of us travelling in a few weeks, landing at 0910, TWOV, I'm assuming through immigration with luggage 1030-1100 and want the easiest option which I assume will be a taxi. I'm guessing cash is the only option, so quick questions, are there a decent number of ATMs and secondly, where would be the best place to pick up a cab? Thanks.

Plenty of ATMs in the arrivals hall. Pick up a taxi from the official rank. As per usual airport practice - beware of taxi touts (saying 'No thanks, my driver is outside' works well, they tend to leave you alone then).

Thanks, I've just looked at the Alipay tourist wallet, could I load this and use to pay the taxi? I will (should) have cell coverage in China.

Most of the drivers use their personal accounts which I don't think allows for use with the tourist wallet. You can definitely use the tourist wallet to pay for maglev tickets though. Otherwise use cash to pay the taxi driver.