In short
Start with the authority behind the numbers. Lanzhou city taxis run on government-set fares published by the Lanzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission in its Handbook of Government-Priced Items: a base distance of 3 km with a ¥10 flag fall, a rate of ¥1.4 per kilometre, and a deadheading surcharge of ¥0.7 per km beyond 10 km on one-way trips, so that one-way travel past 10 km is effectively charged at ¥2.1 per km while return trips stay at ¥1.4. Waiting time costs ¥1.4 per five minutes and is converted into distance, five minutes being treated as one kilometre. A night surcharge of ¥0.2 per km applies. Between 22:00 and 06:00 the tariff is stepped differently: ¥10 for the first 3 km, ¥1.6 per km from 3 to 10 km, and ¥2.3 per km one-way beyond 10 km with ¥1.6 on return trips, which is simply the daytime rate plus the ¥0.2 supplement. Taxis registered in Lanzhou New Area, where the airport sits, follow the same Lanzhou price bureau standard. One caveat: the handbook itself carries no document number, and we could not find an original tariff notice with a reference number, while the 2025 edition reflects documents current only to December 2024, so the figures may move. On prices, no official airport-to-city fare has ever been published. The airport’s own transfer guide quotes about ¥150 and 1.5 hours, and third-party travel sites quote ¥180–220 including tolls; neither is a price. Working from the formula, take roughly 70 km to Panxuan Road in Chengguan: ¥10 for the first 3 km, then 7 km at ¥1.4 for ¥9.8, then 60 km at ¥2.1 for ¥126, giving about ¥146 on the meter before the airport expressway toll, which third-party route estimates put at ¥14–23. For the rank, taxis queue at the ground-level pick-up zone of Terminal 3, on the first and second kerbs outside the terminal, which the airport elsewhere describes as the second kerb outside Exit 11 of the international arrivals hall; ride-hailing picks up in zone A on level P5 of the car park, the P5A point, where the airport keeps 400 dedicated bays alongside 432 taxi holding spaces. Pay what the meter shows and ask for the receipt and cab number; cash and Alipay or WeChat QR payment generally work. Complaints go to 0931-8254855, the Lanzhou New Area transport enforcement line, or 12328, the national transport service hotline.
- Tariff source
- Lanzhou DRC Handbook of Government-Priced Items (no document number)
- Flag fall
- ¥10 for the first 3 km
- Per-kilometre rate
- ¥1.4 per km
- Deadheading surcharge
- Beyond 10 km one-way: +¥0.7/km, so ¥2.1; return trips stay ¥1.4
- Waiting charge
- ¥1.4 per 5 min; 5 minutes equals 1 km
- Night supplement
- ¥0.2 per km, 22:00 to 06:00
- Night stepped tariff
- ¥10 to 3 km, ¥1.6 to 10 km, ¥2.3 one-way beyond
- Expressway toll
- Paid by you; third-party estimates ¥14–23
- Taxi rank
- Terminal 3 ground-level zone, first and second kerbs
- Ride-hailing pick-up
- Zone A, level P5 of the car park (P5A), 400 bays
- Complaints
- 0931-8254855 Lanzhou New Area, or 12328 national
How to take each option
How to get a taxi
Fare Metered
- After baggage claim follow the taxi signs to the ground-level passenger pick-up zone of Terminal 3, on the first and second kerbs outside the terminal, described elsewhere by the airport as the second kerb outside Exit 11 of the international arrivals hall. Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
- Queue at the official rank, where the airport keeps 432 taxi holding spaces, staffed as long as flights are arriving.
- Show the driver the Chinese name and address of where you are going and say clearly that you want the meter rather than a negotiated price, then check the meter has started.
- Pay what the meter shows with the expressway toll on top, ask for the receipt and note the cab number; complaints go to 0931-8254855 or 12328.
In October 2026 the Lanzhou New Area authorities launched a taxi-order enforcement drive at the airport and the two rail stations, targeting refusal to carry, fare haggling, refusing the meter and forced ride-sharing. If a driver takes a long route or refuses you, keep the receipt and cab number and complain.
How the fare adds up
- Start with ¥10 for the first 3 km.
- Then ¥1.4 per km from 3 to 10 km, so at 10 km the meter reads about ¥10 plus ¥9.8, or ¥19.8.
- Beyond 10 km on a one-way trip the ¥0.7 deadheading surcharge applies, taking the rate to ¥2.1 per km, while return trips stay at ¥1.4.
- As an illustration rather than a quote: take roughly 70 km to Panxuan Road in Chengguan, so ¥19.8 plus 60 km at ¥2.1 comes to about ¥146, then add the airport expressway toll, estimated by third parties at ¥14–23.
- Night and traffic add more: from 22:00 to 06:00 the rate becomes ¥1.6, or ¥2.3 one-way beyond 10 km, which is simply the daytime rate plus the ¥0.2 night supplement, and in jams waiting time is billed at ¥1.4 per five minutes.
The ¥146 produced by the formula sits close to the airport’s own ¥150, while third-party travel sites go as high as ¥180–220. None of them is an official price: only the meter decides, and the toll is charged on top.
Ordering a ride-hailing car
- Place your order in the app and choose the pick-up point, zone A on level P5 of the car park, the P5A point, where 400 dedicated bays are kept.
- Follow the signs to the P5A zone before calling the driver, since ride-hailing cars cannot simply pull up at any arrivals door.
- Check the plate and the last digits of the driver’s phone number before getting in. The Lanzhou transport commission states that ride-hailing fares are market-priced, shown transparently and charged in real time by the platform, so settle the trip inside the app.
Ride-hailing does not follow the cruise-taxi tariff: taxis run on the government-set price of ¥10 for the first 3 km, while ride-hailing is priced dynamically by the platform and can cost noticeably more for long or late-night trips.
If you would rather not take a cab
- Landing in daylight: go down to Zhongchuan Airport East beneath Terminal 3 and take an intercity train, 38 minutes to Lanzhou West at ¥16–28 or 53 to Lanzhou station at ¥16–23, an order of magnitude cheaper and immune to traffic.
- For the centre with light bags, coach line 1 costs ¥30 and takes about 70 minutes, finishing at Lanzhou Railway Station in the middle of Chengguan, and it follows the flights with no fixed last departure.
- For Lanzhou West, coach line 3 costs ¥30 and runs through to 01:00, the only public-transport fallback at night.
At 70 km a cab is both dear and slow here: the airport quotes about 1.5 hours, longer at evening peak. Unless you need door to door, are three or four together, or land in the middle of the night, the intercity train is the better deal.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
C9836 at 22:14 is the last intercity train towards Lanzhou West and C610 at 21:09 the last towards Lanzhou station. After those, public transport means only coach line 1, which follows the flights with no fixed last departure, and line 3 to about 01:00; later still, taxis and ride-hailing are all that remain, available whenever flights arrive. Note the night tariff from 22:00 to 06:00: the flag fall stays at ¥10 for 3 km, but the rate becomes ¥1.6 per km from 3 to 10 km and ¥2.3 beyond, which is the daytime rate plus the ¥0.2 night supplement, so over 70 km the meter climbs from roughly ¥146 by day to about ¥159 at night, before the expressway toll.
Questions travellers ask
How much is a taxi from Lanzhou airport to the city centre?
That figure is never published officially. The airport quotes about ¥150 and 1.5 hours and third-party travel sites ¥180–220 including tolls, all reference ranges. Working the tariff over 70 km gives roughly ¥146 on the meter, plus ¥14–23 for the expressway.
What is the flag fall for a Lanzhou taxi?
¥10 covers the first 3 km, then ¥1.4 per km, with a ¥0.7 per km deadheading surcharge beyond 10 km on one-way trips, taking the rate to ¥2.1, while return trips stay at ¥1.4. The source is the Lanzhou Development and Reform Commission handbook, which carries no document number.
Is there a night surcharge?
Yes. Between 22:00 and 06:00 the stepped tariff is ¥10 for the first 3 km, ¥1.6 per km to 10 km and ¥2.3 one-way beyond, which is the daytime rate plus the ¥0.2 night supplement. Over 70 km that adds roughly ¥13 to the fare.
Is the expressway toll included in the fare?
No: the airport expressway toll is yours to pay on top of the metered fare, estimated by third parties at ¥14–23 depending on the route. It is worth asking before you set off to avoid an argument on arrival.
Where is the taxi rank at the airport?
The ground-level passenger pick-up zone of Terminal 3, on the first and second kerbs outside the terminal, which the airport elsewhere describes as the second kerb outside Exit 11 of the international arrivals hall. The airport keeps 432 taxi holding spaces.
Can I order a Didi at the airport?
Yes, from zone A on level P5 of the car park, the P5A point, where 400 dedicated bays are kept. It is a different place from both the taxi rank and the coach departure point, so follow the signs.
Can I pay with a foreign card or Alipay?
The airport publishes no dedicated payment page. In practice cash and Alipay or WeChat QR payment work while foreign cards generally do not, so carry some cash or link a card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before flying. Always ask for the receipt, which carries the plate number.
What if the driver haggles, refuses the meter or takes a long route?
Board only at the official rank, insist on the meter and keep the receipt with the cab number. In October 2026 the Lanzhou New Area authorities were running an enforcement drive against refusal to carry, fare haggling, refusing the meter and forced ride-sharing; complain on 0931-8254855 or 12328.
Taxi, or the intercity train?
By day, alone and heading somewhere near a station, take the train: 38 minutes to Lanzhou West at ¥16–28, an order of magnitude cheaper and immune to traffic. Only choose a cab with heavy bags, three or four people, a landing in the small hours, or a destination far from any station.
How early should I leave for the airport by taxi?
The airport quotes about 1.5 hours, longer at evening peak, so leave the city 3.5 to 4 hours before departure and keep a margin for expressway jams. The intercity train is an alternative: the first service from Lanzhou West leaves at 05:30 and takes about 40 minutes, unaffected by road conditions.