In short
Start with the counter-intuitive part: the airport stands in Rongcheng District, Jieyang, but there is no single taxi price, because each cab meters at the tariff of the city on its plate. Yue V is a Jieyang car, Yue D a Shantou car and Yue U a Chaozhou car, and they work from three different price lists. First, Jieyang plates, under document Jie Shi Jia [2012] No. 78: the flag drop is ¥8 covering 2 km, then ¥2.2 per km charged in five steps of 200 m at ¥0.44 each; waiting costs ¥0.30 per minute after the first five minutes; the part of a trip beyond 20 km carries a 50% empty-running surcharge; and between 22:00 and 07:00 the tariff rises by 30%. Second, Shantou plates, under document Shan Fu Ban [2018] No. 2: ¥10 for the first 2.6 km, then ¥2.40 per km metered in steps of 0.208 km at ¥0.50; waiting is free for four minutes and ¥0.40 per minute after that; the part beyond 25 km carries a 30% premium; nights from 23:00 to 06:00 add 20%; and a phone booking may carry a ¥1 fee. Third, Chaozhou plates, under document Chao Fa Gai Jia [2013] No. 301: a 1.6-litre car starts at ¥10 for 2.6 km then ¥2.4 per km, while a 1.3-litre car starts at ¥9 for 2.6 km then ¥2.2 per km; waiting is again ¥0.40 per minute after four minutes; the part beyond 20 km carries a 30% premium; and nights from 23:00 to 06:00 add 20%. In all three cities bridge and expressway tolls are passed to the passenger at cost. For the rank: taxis queue outside Exit 4 of the arrivals hall in three lanes signed for Shantou, Jieyang and Chaozhou, sorted by destination, so take a Yue D car for Shantou, a Yue V car for Jieyang districts and counties, a Yue U car for Chaozhou city, and a Yue V car for anywhere beyond the three cities — join the wrong lane and you will be sent to queue again. Ride-hailing cars collect passengers at a separate express-lane point near Gate 6, their drivers waiting inside a geofenced area in bays 19 to 33 of the passenger car park. Pay what the meter shows, ask for a receipt, and expect cash, WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes to work, since the three city documents do not regulate payment and this is simply common practice; for refusal, flat-fare dealing or overcharging call 12328. On prices: no official airport-to-centre fare or mileage has ever been published. Third-party travel sites give reference ranges of about 40 km, ¥110–120 and 45 minutes to central Shantou around Junhua Hotel, about 23 km and ¥80–90 in roughly 35 minutes to Chaozhou People’s Square, about 25 km and ¥80–90 to the Jieyang municipal government area, and about 12 km and roughly ¥50 in about 20 minutes to Chaoshan high-speed station. These are third-party reference ranges rather than official prices, and they exclude tolls.
- How many tariffs
- Three, by the city on the plate: Yue V, Yue D, Yue U
- Jieyang flag drop
- ¥8 for 2 km, then ¥2.2 per km
- Shantou flag drop
- ¥10 for 2.6 km, then ¥2.40 per km
- Chaozhou flag drop
- ¥10 in a 1.6-litre car, ¥9 in a 1.3-litre car, both 2.6 km
- Long-trip surcharge
- Jieyang +50% past 20 km; Shantou +30% past 25 km; Chaozhou +30% past 20 km
- Night supplement
- Jieyang +30% 22:00–07:00; Shantou and Chaozhou +20% 23:00–06:00
- Waiting charge
- Jieyang ¥0.30/min after 5 min; Shantou and Chaozhou ¥0.40/min after 4 min
- Tolls
- Passed to the passenger at cost in all three cities
- Taxi rank
- Outside Exit 4, three lanes sorted by destination city
- Ride-hailing pick-up
- Express lane near Gate 6; drivers wait in geofenced bays 19–33
- Complaints
- 12328, the national transport supervision hotline
- Airport-to-city price
- Not published; third-party ranges below
How to take each option
Getting a cab: queue by destination outside Exit 4
Fare Metered
- Follow the taxi signs out of Exit 4 of the arrivals hall and ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
- Read the lane sign before queuing: Yue D for Shantou, Yue V for Jieyang, Yue U for Chaozhou, and Yue V for anywhere beyond the three cities. The wrong lane means queuing twice.
- Show the driver the Chinese name and address of your destination, ask for the meter, and check it has started before you settle in.
- Pay the meter plus any tolls, ask for the receipt and note the cab number; for refusal, flat-fare dealing or overcharging call 12328.
The Jieyang government’s monitoring report for the second half of 2024 counted just 57 cruising taxis across three operators, against 3,742 licensed ride-hailing vehicles, so the rank can be far slower than an app; if you are in a hurry, prefer ride-hailing or a booked pickup.
Reading the three tariffs: check the plate
- Glance at the plate prefix before you get in: Yue V is a Jieyang car, Yue D a Shantou car and Yue U a Chaozhou car.
- Yue V, Jieyang: ¥8 for the first 2 km, ¥2.2 per km, ¥0.30 per minute waiting after five minutes, a 50% surcharge on the part beyond 20 km, and 30% more between 22:00 and 07:00.
- Yue D, Shantou: ¥10 for the first 2.6 km, ¥2.40 per km, ¥0.40 per minute waiting after four minutes, a 30% premium beyond 25 km, and 20% more between 23:00 and 06:00.
- Yue U, Chaozhou: ¥10 in a 1.6-litre car or ¥9 in a 1.3-litre car, both for 2.6 km, then ¥2.4 or ¥2.2 per km, ¥0.40 per minute waiting after four minutes, a 30% premium beyond 20 km, and 20% more between 23:00 and 06:00.
- Bridge and expressway tolls are charged to the passenger at cost in all three cities, and fuel surcharges follow each city’s fare-fuel linkage mechanism, with no public document showing one currently in force.
The same trip prices differently under the three formulas. For the roughly 40 km run to Shantou, a Yue V cab meters ¥8 plus 38 km with a 50% uplift on the part beyond 20 km, while a Yue D cab meters ¥10 plus a 30% premium beyond 25 km, so the totals differ noticeably — and the driver may take the expressway and add tolls.
Ride-hailing: the express lane at Gate 6
Fare Market-priced
- Order in the app and pick the ride-hailing express lane at Gate 6: drivers wait inside a geofenced zone in bays 19 to 33 of the car park and only come over once they have accepted the job.
- It is often better to order after the barrier, because the terminal has several levels and weak signal and drivers and passengers lose each other; agree an exact door with the driver once the car is assigned.
- The fare follows the pricing rules each platform publishes and is market-priced rather than government-set, as the Jieyang transport bureau has put it, so it can rise at peak times or in rain; you can pay inside the app.
Queues of twenty minutes or more are common at flight banks and during holidays; if you simply want to move, walk over to Exit 4 and see whether the taxi lane is shorter, since both are on the same side of the terminal.
Do not take a cab to Chaoshan station
Fare ¥0 or ¥10–12
- Think of the free shuttle first: board outside Exit 8 of the arrivals hall, every 20 minutes from 08:00 to 21:00, ¥0, nothing to buy.
- In a hurry, walk to Jieyang Airport station on the south side of Terminal 1 and take the train: 10 km in as little as 9 minutes at ¥10–12, running 07:35 to 22:59 toward Chaoshan.
- Only once the free shuttle has closed at 21:00 and you have missed the last train is a cab worth it: about 12 km, third-party reference around ¥50, not an official price, with the night surcharge on top in the small hours.
This is the easiest place on the site to overspend: a cab over those 12 km is quoted around ¥50, while the same trip is free by shuttle or ¥10–12 on a nine-minute train.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
All three cities surcharge at night but by different amounts: Jieyang cabs add 30% from 22:00 to 07:00, while Shantou and Chaozhou cabs add 20% from 23:00 to 06:00. After dark the order of preference is the Shantou east express coach, which follows arriving flights after 17:30 with a guaranteed last run before 02:00, then ride-hailing, then taxis. Two rail cut-offs matter: the last train from Jieyang Airport station toward Chaoshan and Shantou leaves at 22:59, a figure from third-party timetable mirrors that moves with each change and should be confirmed on 12306, and the free shuttle closes at 21:00. One warning worth repeating: Jieyang had only 57 cruising taxis in operation in the second half of 2024 against 3,742 licensed ride-hailing vehicles, so queuing at Exit 4 in the small hours can take a very long time, and an app or a hotel pickup is the better plan.
Questions travellers ask
How much is a taxi from the airport to central Shantou?
No official reference fare has ever been published. What you can check is the tariff: most airport cabs carry Yue V Jieyang plates, charging ¥8 for the first 2 km, ¥2.2 per km, a 50% surcharge on the part beyond 20 km and 30% more between 22:00 and 07:00, with tolls on top. Third-party travel sites give a reference range of about 40 km, ¥110–120 and 45 minutes, which is not an official price.
Why are there three taxi tariffs?
Because the airport sits in Rongcheng District, Jieyang, while most travellers are heading for Shantou or Chaozhou, and each city’s cruising taxis meter at the tariff its own price authority approved: Jieyang under Jie Shi Jia [2012] No. 78, Shantou under Shan Fu Ban [2018] No. 2 and Chaozhou under Chao Fa Gai Jia [2013] No. 301. That is why Exit 4 has three separate lanes by destination city.
Where is the taxi rank?
Outside Exit 4 of the arrivals hall, where three lanes are signed for Shantou, Jieyang and Chaozhou: Yue D for Shantou, Yue V for Jieyang, Yue U for Chaozhou, and Yue V for anywhere beyond the three cities. Ride-hailing cars use a separate express lane near Gate 6.
Is there a night surcharge, and how much?
Yes, by different amounts: Jieyang cabs add 30% from 22:00 to 07:00, while Shantou and Chaozhou cabs add 20% from 23:00 to 06:00. Expressway and bridge tolls are also charged to the passenger at cost.
Can I pay with WeChat Pay, Alipay or a foreign card?
None of the three cities’ price or transport documents sets payment methods, so there is no official line. In practice cash, WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes work and foreign plastic generally does not, so carry some cash or link an international card before you fly. Pay the meter and ask for the receipt.
What if the driver refuses the meter or the fare?
Insist on the meter, refuse any flat all-in price, and report it on 12328, the national transport supervision hotline named by the Jieyang transport bureau. Note the cab number and keep the receipt, and never take an unlicensed private car.
Which is quicker, a taxi or ride-hailing?
Usually ride-hailing. The Jieyang government’s monitoring report for the second half of 2024 counted 57 cruising taxis across three operators against 3,742 licensed ride-hailing vehicles, and the airport lane itself queues up at flight banks. With heavy bags or a late arrival, prefer an app or a booked pickup.
Is a taxi to Chaoshan station worth it?
Rarely worth it. A cab over those 12 km is quoted around ¥50 on third-party sites, while the free shuttle costs ¥0, running every 20 minutes from 08:00 to 21:00 outside Exit 8, and the train is ¥10–12 in as little as nine minutes. Only after 21:00, once the last train has gone, does a cab make sense.
Is there traffic, and how much time should I allow?
Central Shantou is about 40 km away and third-party sites put the drive at roughly 45 minutes, considerably longer in holidays or rain, and the waiting charge ticks up as well, ¥0.30 per minute after five minutes in a Jieyang cab and ¥0.40 after four in Shantou and Chaozhou cabs. If you have a train to catch, take the train: it is immune to traffic.