In short
Start with the authority behind the numbers: the Notice on Revising and Improving the Urban Public Transport Fare Mechanism, document Xu Fa Gai Gui [2022] No. 2, issued jointly by the Xuzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Municipal Transport Bureau, effective from 2 December 2022 through 1 December 2027. Its terms are these. The flag drop is a base ¥8 covering the first 3 km, the old separate ¥1 fuel surcharge having been abolished. The base per-kilometre rate is ¥2.00 in the 3–6 km band. Beyond 6 km a 50% surcharge applies to the actual rate — an empty-running fee amounting to about ¥3.00 per km at base level. Xuzhou has moved from government-set to guided pricing, so operators may charge up to 20% above the base, with no floor on reductions, after filing with the Development and Reform Commission, which is why two fleets can quote slightly different rates for the same trip. At night, between 23:00 and 05:00, a supplement of ¥0.3 per km applies after the first 3 km. Peak hours bring dual metering: between 07:00 and 09:00 and again between 17:00 and 19:00, ¥0.32 per minute is added whenever the cab drops to 12 km/h or below, and the same ¥0.32 per minute applies regardless of the hour when the vehicle is stationary. Shared sections are billed at 70% of the metered rate. Expressway and bridge tolls are paid by the passenger, exactly as the airport’s own page puts it. For the rank: taxis line up outside the Level 1 arrivals hall of Terminal T2, roughly 15 m ahead and to the right of Exit 2, which the airport’s posts sometimes describe as 10 m past Exit 2, referring to the same place; ride-hailing cars use a separate point on the left, or east, side of Exit 3 on the arrivals level. Pay what the meter shows and keep the receipt and cab number as evidence; cash and QR wallets work even though the airport publishes no payment page, and complaints go to the 12345 citizens’ hotline or the 12328 transport complaints line. As for prices, no official figure exists for the airport to the centre or to Xuzhou East. Third-party travel sites put the run to Pengcheng Square at ¥80–100 and 40–60 minutes, and to Xuzhou East at ¥100–150 and 50–60 minutes for about 40 km plus tolls, and this page labels all of it a reference range rather than an official fare.
- Tariff document
- Xu Fa Gai Gui [2022] No. 2, 2022-12-02 to 2027-12-01
- Base flag drop
- ¥8 for the first 3 km; the ¥1 fuel surcharge is gone
- Rate for 3 to 6 km
- ¥2.00 per km
- Beyond 6 km
- Plus 50%: about ¥3.00 per km at base
- Operator uplift
- Up to +20%, reductions unlimited
- Night supplement
- 23:00–05:00: ¥0.3 per km after 3 km
- Peak low-speed charge
- 07–09 and 17–19 below 12 km/h: ¥0.32 per minute
- Road and bridge tolls
- Paid by you on top of the meter
- Taxi rank
- Outside T2 Level 1 arrivals, 15 m past Exit 2
- Ride-hailing pick-up
- Left, or east, side of Exit 3, T2 arrivals
- Complaints
- 12345 citizens’ line or 12328 transport line
How to take each option
How to get a taxi
Fare Metered
- After baggage claim follow the taxi signs out of the Level 1 arrivals hall and ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
- Join the queue at the official rank outside the Level 1 arrivals hall, about 15 m ahead and to the right of Exit 2, described in the airport’s own posts as 10 m past Exit 2.
- Show the driver the Chinese name and address of where you are going, ask for the meter and check the meter has started before you settle in.
- Pay what the meter shows plus any tolls, ask for the receipt and keep the cab number; complaints go to 12345 or 12328.
The airport page states plainly that fares follow the Xuzhou tariff, that low-speed surcharges are payable as prescribed and that tolls are the passenger’s responsibility, and it advises keeping the meter slip and cab number as evidence.
How the fare adds up
- Start with ¥8 for the first 3 km; the former ¥1 fuel surcharge was abolished on 2 December 2022.
- Then ¥2.00 per km over the 3–6 km band, so at 6 km the base reading is ¥8 plus ¥6, or ¥14.
- Past 6 km a 50% empty-running surcharge applies, taking the base rate to about ¥3.00 per km.
- As an illustration rather than a quote: take roughly 35 km to Pengcheng Square, so ¥14 plus 29 km at ¥3.00 comes to about ¥101, rising to roughly ¥121 if the operator applies the full 20% uplift, before tolls are added.
- Night and traffic add more: ¥0.3 per km after 3 km from 23:00 to 05:00, and ¥0.32 per minute between 07:00 and 09:00 or 17:00 and 19:00 whenever the cab runs below 12 km/h or is stopped.
Note that the ¥101–121 produced by the formula sits above the ¥80–100 quoted by third-party sites, and neither is official: only the meter decides, and fleets differ in how much of the permitted uplift they apply.
Ordering a ride-hailing car
- Place your order in the app and choose the pick-up point on the left, or east, side of Exit 3 on the T2 arrivals level, which is separate from the taxi queue and works passenger-waits-for-car.
- Walk out to that point following the signs before calling the driver, and tell him which door you are at, 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. Longer trips and late-night rides are priced dynamically by the platform rather than by the cruise-taxi tariff above.
Official descriptions of the ride-hailing point have shifted: a 2024 post called it 15 m left of the Level 1 exit, while 2025 and 2026 posts say the left, or east, side of Exit 3 on the arrivals level, and this page uses the later wording.
If you would rather not take a cab
- Catching a train: the ¥3 shuttle takes about five minutes to Guanyin Airport station and the train about 15 more to Xuzhou East for ¥13–16, so ¥16–19 in total — an order of magnitude below a cab, though only about a dozen trains stop there each day.
- Going into town with light bags: the ¥25 city coach finishes at the Main Bus Terminal beside the old railway station.
- Needing a car at any address: book the door-to-door transfer, ¥40 per the website and ¥35 per the latest WeChat guide.
One thing worth repeating: the airport has no metro. Per the operator’s May 2026 reply, Line S2 remains inside the approved network plan, unbuilt, and will not run through to Xuzhou East, so there is no cheaper underground alternative.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
The last high-speed train leaves Guanyin Airport station around 20:57 according to third-party timetables checked on 31 October 2026 and subject to change, and after that there is no rail at all, since no metro reaches the airport either. Between 23:00 and 05:00 taxis add ¥0.3 per km beyond the first 3 km, and in the 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:00 peaks another ¥0.32 per minute applies whenever the cab crawls below 12 km/h or stops. For anyone landing in the middle of the night, the reliable answer is the rank about 15 m ahead and to the right of Exit 2 outside the Level 1 arrivals hall, staffed as long as flights arrive, or the ride-hailing point on the left of Exit 3.
Questions travellers ask
How much is a taxi from Xuzhou airport to the city centre?
That figure is never published officially. Only the tariff can be checked: ¥8 for the first 3 km, ¥2.00 per km from 3 to 6 km, a 50% surcharge beyond 6 km that lifts the rate to about ¥3.00, up to a 20% operator uplift, and tolls on top. At an assumed 35 km that works out around ¥101–121, while third-party travel sites quote ¥80–100 and 40–60 minutes, which is a reference range rather than an official price.
What does a taxi to Xuzhou East cost?
No official price exists here either. It is roughly 40 km, which the formula puts at about ¥116 and more if the full uplift applies, plus tolls, while third-party sites quote ¥100–150 and 50–60 minutes in clear traffic. The ¥3 shuttle plus the train, by comparison, comes to about ¥16–19.
Are tolls included in the fare?
They are not. The airport page says plainly that road and bridge tolls are borne by the passenger, meaning they sit on top of whatever the meter shows, as do the night and low-speed surcharges.
Is there a night surcharge?
Yes. Between 23:00 and 05:00 a supplement of ¥0.3 per km applies after the first 3 km. In the 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:00 peaks another ¥0.32 per minute is charged whenever the cab drops below 12 km/h, including when it is stationary.
Where is the taxi rank at the airport?
Outside the Level 1 arrivals hall of Terminal T2, roughly 15 m ahead and to the right of Exit 2, which the airport’s posts alternatively describe as 10 m past Exit 2. Follow the taxi signs and queue at the official spot.
Can I order a Didi at the airport?
Yes, from the separate pick-up point on the left, or east, side of Exit 3 on the T2 arrivals level, which works passenger-waits-for-car. Note that a 2024 airport post described it as 15 m left of the Level 1 exit; this page uses the newer Exit 3 wording.
Can I pay with a foreign card or Alipay?
The airport publishes no payment page. In practice cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes work while foreign cards generally do not, so carry some cash or link one to Alipay or WeChat Pay before flying. Always ask for the receipt, which carries the plate number and complaints lines.
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 the 12345 citizens’ hotline or the 12328 transport complaints line, quoting what the meter showed; paying tolls on top is normal.
Taxi, or the ¥3 shuttle plus a train?
With heavy bags, three or four people, or a late arrival, a taxi door to door is simplest and the most expensive option here. Alone, unhurried and with trains running on your date, the shuttle plus a train costs about ¥16–19, an order of magnitude less, at the price of roughly a dozen departures a day and some waiting.
Is there a metro instead?
No, and that is official. In its May 2026 reply on People’s Daily Online, Xuzhou Metro Group said Line S2 to the airport is still only inside the approved network plan, is not built, and will not connect to Xuzhou East, while operating Lines 1, 2, 3 and 6 have no airport station.