In short
Start with the authority behind the numbers: the notice on adjusting Nanning taxi fares issued by the Nanning Price Bureau and the Nanning Transport Bureau, document Nan Jiage [2013] No. 55, in force since 20 March 2014, which also abolished the fuel surcharge. Its terms are these. By day the flag drop is ¥9 for the first 2 km, and at night, between 23:00 and 06:00, it is ¥11 for the first 2 km. The per-km rate is ¥2, with the meter stepping every 200 m beyond the flag-fall distance. Empty-running surcharges on one-way hires add ¥0.20 per 200 m beyond 7 km and ¥0.40 per 200 m beyond 18 km, while beyond 36 km the long-distance surcharge stops and the standard rate applies again, and no surcharge is added if you ask to return by the same route. Waiting, whether the cab is stopped or crawling below 12 km/h, is free for the first three minutes and then billed at 25% of the per-km rate per minute, rising to 50% in the 17:00 to 19:00 peak, which works out at roughly ¥0.50 a minute normally and ¥1.00 in the peak. Tolls on tolled roads and bridges are paid by you when the cab is carrying a fare, and by the driver on the empty return, and the total is rounded to the nearest yuan. For the rank: taxis wait at the front-left outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall and ride-hailing cars at the front-right, both around the clock, with ride-hailing drivers accepting the job in the car park and picking up at the kerb two or three minutes after you order. Pay what the meter shows, ask for a receipt and refuse any flat-price offer; cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes all work even though no official page says so, and complaints go to 12328 while the airport hotline is 0771-96365, 24 hours. As for prices, no official figure exists for the airport to the centre or the airport to Nanning East. Third-party travel sites quote about ¥80–100 and 40 minutes to the centre, which this page labels a reference range rather than an official price, and for the airport to Nanning East we found no third-party figure either, so both fields are left blank. The airport sits about 32 km from the centre and 33 km from Nanning station, so any one-way hire triggers the long-distance surcharge. One last thing: Nanning has no metro to its airport, and Line S1 phase one from Wuxu Airport to Nadan is still at the preliminary stage with construction aimed at the next Five-Year Plan, so there is no cheaper underground option; to reach the metro you first take an airport bus to Nahong overpass.
- Tariff document
- Nan Jiage [2013] No. 55, in force since 20 March 2014
- Daytime flag fall
- ¥9 for the first 2 km
- Night flag fall
- ¥11 for 2 km, 23:00 to 06:00
- Per-km rate
- ¥2 per km, stepping every 200 m
- Empty-running surcharge
- ¥0.20 per 200 m past 7 km; ¥0.40 per 200 m past 18 km
- Waiting charge
- After 3 min, 25% of the per-km rate per minute; 50% at peak
- Road and bridge tolls
- Paid by you when carrying a fare; by the driver when empty
- Taxi rank
- Front-left outside Exit 6, Terminal 2 arrivals, 24 hours
- Ride-hailing pick-up
- Front-right outside Exit 6, Terminal 2 arrivals, 24 hours
- Complaints and hotlines
- 12328 transport line; airport 0771-96365
How to take each option
How to get a taxi
Fare Metered
- After baggage claim follow the taxi signs out of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall and ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
- Join the queue at the official rank at the front-left outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall, staffed around the clock.
- Show the driver the Chinese name and address of your destination, ask for the meter rather than a negotiated price, and check the meter has started as you settle in.
- Pay what the meter shows plus any road and bridge tolls, ask for the receipt and note the cab number; complaints go to 12328 and the airport hotline is 0771-96365.
Per the official transfer guide, taxis wait at the front-left outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall and ride-hailing cars at the front-right, two separate points; the parent page instead says to the right of the arrivals door, and this page follows the airport transfer guide, with the difference recorded in gaps.
How the fare adds up
- Start with ¥9 for the first 2 km by day, or ¥11 for the first 2 km between 23:00 and 06:00; the fuel surcharge was abolished on 20 March 2014.
- Then ¥2 per km from 2 to 7 km, so at 7 km the meter reads ¥9 plus ¥10, or ¥19, and ¥21 at night.
- Beyond 7 km the empty-running surcharge adds ¥0.20 per 200 m, which is ¥1 more per km, so this band runs at about ¥3 per km.
- Beyond 18 km it steps up again to ¥0.40 per 200 m, another ¥2 per km, so that band runs at about ¥4 per km; past 36 km the long-distance surcharge stops and the standard rate applies again.
- As an illustration rather than a quote: at roughly 32 km to the centre, ¥19 plus 11 km at ¥3 plus 14 km at ¥4 comes to about ¥108, plus ¥2 more at night, then tolls and any waiting time.
That worked example lands around ¥108, above the ¥80–100 quoted by third-party sites, and neither figure is official: only the meter decides, and waiting time in traffic, at 25% of the per-km rate per minute or 50% in the 17:00 to 19:00 peak, will push it higher still.
Ordering a ride-hailing car
- Place your order in the app with the pick-up point at the front-right outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall, which is separate from the taxi rank.
- Walk out to that point following the signs before calling the driver, and say you are at the front-right outside Exit 6, since ride-hailing cars cannot simply pull up at any arrivals door.
- Drivers accept the job in the car park and pick up at the kerb, so allow two or three minutes, and check the plate and the last digits of the driver phone number before getting in.
- Longer trips and late-night rides are priced dynamically by the platform rather than by the cruise-taxi tariff above, so the figure in the app is what you pay.
Details such as the two or three minute wait come from a reproduced airport transfer guide rather than any official page, so treat them as common practice.
If you would rather not take a cab
- Travelling light, the five airport bus lines cost a flat ¥20 each, and Line 1 runs to the last flight of the day, the only public transport still moving late.
- In a hurry, take the train from Wuxu Airport station under Terminal 2: 15 minutes to Nanning for ¥14–16 and 29 to Nanning East for ¥22–25, though services are sparse, so check that day departures first.
- Transferring between air and rail, a same-day train ticket plus your flight booking gets you one free single bus trip between Nanning East or Nanning station and the airport during bus hours, valid to 31 December 2026.
One thing worth repeating: Nanning has no metro to its airport, and Line S1 phase one from Wuxu Airport to Nadan is still at the preliminary stage with construction aimed at the next Five-Year Plan, so there is no cheaper underground alternative; to reach the metro you first take an airport bus to Nahong overpass.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Taxis and ride-hailing cars run 24 hours and are there whenever flights arrive, at the front-left outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall for taxis and the front-right for ride-hailing. Between 23:00 and 06:00 the flag fall rises from ¥9 to ¥11, still for 2 km, with the per-km rate and surcharges unchanged, and waiting time in the 17:00 to 19:00 peak is billed at 50% of the per-km rate per minute instead of the usual 25%. On public transport only airport bus Line 1 keeps going, to the last flight and after 22:00 with passenger flow; Line 2 finishes at 21:30, Lines 3 and 5 at 19:30 and Line 4 at 18:15. High-speed rail does not cover late nights: the published hours of Wuxu Airport station are 07:35 to 22:00, yet the timetable for 31 October 2026 shows a last departure at 23:03, and no railway notice reconciles the two, so check 12306 for your travel date.
Questions travellers ask
How much is a taxi from Nanning airport to the city centre?
No official figure is published. Only the tariff can be checked: ¥9 for the first 2 km by day, ¥2 per km, plus ¥0.20 per 200 m beyond 7 km and ¥0.40 per 200 m beyond 18 km, with tolls on top. At roughly 32 km that works out at about ¥108, plus ¥2 more at night, while third-party travel sites quote ¥80–100 and about 40 minutes, a reference range rather than an official price.
What does a taxi to Nanning East cost?
No reliable source exists, so this page gives no figure. Only the tariff is published, and we found no third-party reference fare for this pairing either, so nothing is worked out from the formula. For comparison, the train costs ¥22–25 in 29 minutes and airport bus Line 4 costs ¥20.
Are tolls included in the fare?
They are not. Document Nan Jiage [2013] No. 55 states that tolls on tolled roads and bridges are paid by the passenger when the cab is carrying a fare, and by the driver on the empty return, so they sit on top of whatever the meter shows. The total is rounded to the nearest yuan.
Is there a night surcharge?
Yes. Between 23:00 and 06:00 the flag fall rises from ¥9 to ¥11, still covering 2 km, with the per-km rate and surcharges unchanged. In the 17:00 to 19:00 peak, waiting or crawling below 12 km/h is billed after three minutes at 50% of the per-km rate per minute rather than the usual 25%.
Where is the taxi rank at the airport?
The front-left outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall, staffed around the clock, with ride-hailing cars at the front-right of the same door, the two points being separate. Follow the taxi signs and queue at the official spot.
Can I order a ride-hailing car at the airport?
Yes, from the pick-up point at the front-right outside Exit 6 of the Terminal 2 arrivals hall, separate from the taxi rank. Drivers accept the job in the car park and pick up at the kerb, so allow two or three minutes, and longer or late-night trips are priced dynamically by the platform.
Can I pay with a foreign card or Alipay?
No official page sets out payment methods. In practice cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes work while foreign cards generally do not, so carry some cash or link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before flying, and always ask for the receipt.
What if the driver takes a long route or overcharges me?
Board only at the official rank, insist on the meter and keep the receipt with the cab number. If anything goes wrong call 12328, the transport service supervision line, or the airport hotline on 0771-96365, quoting what the meter showed; paying tolls on top is normal.
Taxi or airport bus?
With heavy bags, three or four people, or a late arrival, a taxi door to door is simplest and the most expensive option, third-party sites quoting ¥80–100 to the centre. Travelling light with a hotel near a line terminus, the ¥20 airport bus is far cheaper, and Line 1 runs to the last flight.
There is no metro, so is there a cheaper rail option?
There is no metro, but there is high-speed rail: Wuxu Airport station under Terminal 2 reaches Nanning in 15 minutes for ¥14–16 and Nanning East in 29 for ¥22–25, an order of magnitude below a cab, with frequency the weak point at about six and ten services a day. Line S1 phase one to Nadan remains at the preliminary stage with construction aimed at the next Five-Year Plan.
How far is it into town, and is there traffic?
The airport is about 32 km from the centre and 33 km from Nanning station, so any one-way hire triggers the long-distance surcharge of ¥0.40 per 200 m beyond 18 km. No official journey time is published; third-party sites say about 40 minutes, and crawling in the 17:00 to 19:00 peak adds a waiting charge.