Taxis ( 出租车 )

Taxis cost 8 yuan for the first 3 kilometers and 2.4 yuan for every additional kilometer.  Starting in mid-June 2006 there is also an additional hidden 1 yuan fee because of high gas prices which takes the minimum prices up to 9 yuan. 

 

To give you an idea of what it costs to get around it would be about 9-12 yuan to get from Xinjiekou to Hunan Road and 9 yuan to get from Xinjiekou to Nanjing University. Getting to Purple Mountain should cost 20 yuan from Xinjiekou or 30 yuan from Hunan Road.

 

 

Taxi drivers do not speak English, and most of them do not speak standard Mandarin either.  They speak Nanjingese (Nanjinghua).  Generally speaking, drivers are quite familiar with the city.  Every taxi driver should know the most popular areas, and they will likely know the central areas in enough detail that they can navigate their way in and out of the alleys between major roads.

 

There have been some reports that taxi drivers sometimes pass off fake bills as change.  If you want to be safe, be sure to carry bills that are 20 yuan or under.