How it works:
- Situation:
- It only costs ~30,000 Yuan to “manufacture” a fake taxi. There are made from abandoned parts of old taxis decommissioned by taxi companies.
- Some are fine (especially out of Beijing and Shanghai), but there are rogue ones.
- Scams:
- Rigged fake meter.
- Charging an inflated flat fare.
- Driving off with your bags.
- Returning counterfeit yuan as change.
Places to beware:
- Please refer to location tags above.
What to do:
- Take official taxis: in Beijing, real taxis have a “京B” on their license plates with a red light connected to a working meter.
- Photo: if you engage, take a photo of the car plate and the driver’s license.
- Alternatives: taxi booking apps (e.g. DiDi); day tour platforms like Klook (best in Asia) with 50+ transport options.