How Much and How Long by Taxi?

How to use this card

1. Save it before you travel. Download the whole pack from /rescue-cards/ and it works offline — no app, no data plan.
2. Show the big Chinese line to whoever you are talking to. They read characters; the English at the bottom is for you.
3. Say it out loud too if they hesitate. A spoken request gets a faster answer than a silent card, and repeating it removes all doubt.
4. Read the English to understand the reply.

What they will likely say

• “大概四十块，二十分钟。” — About forty yuan, twenty minutes.
• “打表吧。” — Use the meter.
• “这个点堵车，可能要半小时。” — There is traffic at this hour, maybe half an hour.
• “机场的话要一百多。” — If it is the airport, over a hundred.

Pro tips

• If the driver will not use the meter, say 师傅，打表吧 (shīfu, dǎ biǎo ba) — “driver, use the meter”. It works and it is not rude.
• Airport transfers have a mandatory toll on top of the fare. Being asked for it up front is normal; being surprised by it is not.
• Peak hours are 07:30–09:30 and 17:00–19:30. A taxi that takes 25 minutes at 09:00 may take 60 at 18:00.

Related guides

• Full guide — background reading for this situation

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This card is one of the TravelHubChina phrase cards — bilingual, offline, and verified against how people actually talk in China rather than textbook grammar. The full set is free at travelhubchina.com/rescue-cards/.