Does Uber Work in China? How to Use Didi Instead (2026)
Uber does not dispatch cars in mainland China. It sold that business to Didi (滴滴出行) in 2016. Open Uber at Beijing Capital or Shanghai Pudong and you get an empty map — not a glitch.
Didi is the replacement: same idea as Uber, English after one toggle, paid with the foreign card already in Alipay. No Chinese phone number. You need live data the moment you land.
Uber still works in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The moment you are on the mainland, switch.
What to actually open
You do not need five taxi apps. You need a working Alipay, then one of these.
| Alipay → Didi (default) | Standalone DiDi app | Street taxi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Search DiDi / 滴滴出行 inside Alipay | Extra app + extra account | None |
| English | Good enough to book | Full English UI | Show the Chinese address |
| Pay | Alipay foreign card, automatic | Card in-app, or Alipay / WeChat | Meter + cash or QR |
| Chinese number | No | No (home number is fine) | No |
| Best for | Almost every tourist trip | Backup; some Androids | Phone dead, or no data yet |
Default: open Alipay → search DiDi or 滴滴出行 → book. It inherits the identity and card you already verified. No second registration.
Backup: the standalone app is listed as DiDi: Ride Hailing in China (not DiDi Rider, which is other countries). Install it on home Wi-Fi. Switch language in Settings → English. Use it if the mini-program is clumsy on your phone.
Amap’s hail button is a shortcut, not a second app to learn. If you are already looking at a restaurant in Amap, tap Ride / 打车 and it can dispatch Didi, T3 or CaoCao from that pin. Payment is still Alipay — there is no Visa field inside Amap. English covers the map; the ride screen (plate, fare breakdown) is often still Chinese. Fine on day three. Do not make it the airport ride.
Set Alipay up before you fly, then open the Didi mini-program once on home Wi-Fi so you know it loads. The first ride you need is usually the airport, with luggage, on no sleep.
How to book a Didi ride
- Pickup. Let GPS drop the pin, then drag it onto the pavement or the numbered pillar — not the middle of the road. Airport and station drivers cancel pins they cannot legally stop at.
- Destination. Paste the Chinese address from the hotel booking or from Amap / Apple Maps. “The Bund” and “Sanlitun” resolve; a hutong hotel’s English marketing name often does not. Your train ticket names a specific station — Beijing has eight. Put Beijing South (北京南站), not “Beijing”.
- Car type. Express (快车) is the daily default. Premier (专车) for the airport or bulky luggage. Taxi (出租车) if you specifically want a metered cab through the app. Skip carpool with bags.
- Confirm. You see the plate, colour, driver name and an upfront fare. Wait in the pin you set.
Typical Express fares in big cities: a 20-minute hop is often ¥15–40; an airport run into central Beijing or Shanghai is more like ¥120–220, depending on traffic and which airport. Night and rain surcharges are shown before you confirm.
Express and Premier are cashless. If a driver asks you to pay cash or scan their personal QR, cancel and order again. Paying off-app is how double-charges happen.
Finding the car (this is the bit that goes wrong)
Chinese drivers confirm the passenger, not the car. They match the last four digits of the phone number on the booking.
- Screenshot those four digits (and the plate) before you leave the terminal.
- Hold the screen up. You do not need to say anything.
- If they call, decline. Open in-app chat and send a landmark — “I’m at Gate 12 / pillar C2”. Chat auto-translates; the phone call does not.
Match the plate before you get in. Same habit as Uber.
Airports and stations: walk to 网约车
Two pickup systems sit next to each other. They are not interchangeable.
- Online Car Hailing / 网约车 — this is Didi. Follow the signs, note the zone and pillar (B2, C3…), set that as the pin before a driver accepts. Wrong floor = the driver sits at a different exit and then cancels.
- Taxi rank — official metered cabs. Fine if your phone has no data. Pay the meter in cash or QR; do not negotiate a flat “city price”.
- Anyone who approaches you in arrivals — decline. The gap between a real fare and a tout at PEK or PVG is often several hundred yuan.
The same 网约车 signs exist at high-speed rail stations. Guangzhou East and a few others put the zone a long walk away — follow the signs, do not wait at the arrivals door.
If the phone is dead or Alipay will not open, the official taxi rank is the backup. Keep ¥200–500 cash for that case, as in the payments guide.
Didi vs a street taxi
| Didi | Official taxi (meter) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Upfront in the app | Meter — similar on a good day |
| Language | English booking + translated chat | Show the Chinese address |
| Pay | Foreign card via Alipay | Cash or QR; many drivers are cashless anyway |
| Record | Trip in the app | Little if something goes wrong |
| When to use | Default, especially airports | Phone dead; or you are already at the rank |
Street-hail is still normal. It is not better. For a first trip, Didi is the one that does not depend on you speaking Chinese at the kerb.
For getting around a city with no luggage, the metro is faster and cheaper. Didi is for late trains, the Great Wall, four people with suitcases, and the first hour after you land.
Frequently asked questions
Does Uber work in China?
Not in mainland China. Uber sold its China business to Didi in 2016. The Uber app may still open, but it will not dispatch a car in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an or anywhere else on the mainland. Use Didi — most first-timers book it inside Alipay, paid with the same foreign card they already linked. Uber does still work in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Do I need a Chinese phone number to use Didi?
No. The Didi mini-program inside Alipay uses your Alipay account — register Alipay with your home number. The standalone DiDi app also accepts overseas numbers for SMS. Keep your home SIM on for codes and run data on a travel eSIM.
Can I pay for Didi with a foreign credit card?
Yes. The reliable path is: link Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex or Discover to Alipay, then book Didi inside Alipay so the fare is charged automatically. The standalone app can bind an international card directly, but declines are more common. Express and Premier rides are cashless — do not hand the driver cash.
How do I find my driver if I don't speak Chinese?
Match the plate in the app, then show the last four digits of the phone number you booked with — that is how Chinese drivers confirm the passenger, not the licence plate. If the driver calls, decline and use in-app chat: messages auto-translate, phone calls do not.
Should I take Didi or a taxi from the airport?
Didi. Walk to the signed Online Car Hailing / 网约车 zone, not the taxi rank and not anyone who approaches you in arrivals. Quoted Didi fares are upfront; airport taxi touts are where the ¥300–700 overcharges happen. An official metered taxi from the rank is a fair backup if your phone has no data.
Can I book a ride in Amap instead of Didi?
Yes, once Alipay is linked — Amap cannot take a foreign card on its own. It is an aggregator (Didi, T3, CaoCao) from the pin you are already looking at, which is handy mid-trip. English is solid for the map and patchy on the ride screen (driver details, fare). For the first airport pickup, book Didi inside Alipay; do not make Amap the plan.