Congrats on your move! Easy Expat actually has a city guide to Shanghai (
http://www.easyexpat.com/en/shanghai.htm) that can be very useful in all aspects of your move. There is also a page dedicated to transportation,
http://www.easyexpat.com/en/shanghai/pr ... nsport.htm, which includes this info about taxis:
"Competition amongst taxis in Shanghai is fierce and as a result prices are competitive. Many local people will take taxis for short trips, even if they own a car. The initial price is displayed in the taxi, after which the distance travelled will be metered and you will be charged accordingly. Customers commonly sit in the front passenger seat of taxis; in fact the meter may be set up to be visible only from the front seat. It is not required to tip your taxi driver.
Relatively few of the taxi drivers speak English. It is a sensible precaution to have the name of your hotel, business address and home address written in Chinese on a card so that you can simply show the driver where you want to go. Some taxi drivers will, however, try to take you on the 'scenic route' if they think that you are a tourist. Check the price first, by asking at your hotel or the airport. Touts at the airport will charge 2 to 4 times the going rate for a taxi ride into the town centre - avoiding them and getting into the queue for licensed taxis will save your money!"
I also found some additional info:
Taxi is a good choice for transportation in the city, especially during off-peak hours. It is affordable (¥12 for the first 3km, ¥2.4/km up to 10km, and ¥3.5/km after; when wheels aren't rolling, time is also tracked and billed but first 5 min. are free) and saves you time, but try to get your destination in Chinese characters or available on a map as communication can be an issue. As Shanghai is a huge city, try to get the nearest intersection to your destination as well since even addresses in Chinese are often useless. Most drivers do not speak English or any other foreign languages, so be sure to have the address of your destination written in Chinese to show the taxi driver but should you forget, there is a phone number displayed in the back of the taxi (you'll need a mobile phone for this). Dial the number and tell the agent where you want to go (English is the only foreign language offered currently). The agent will then, on your behalf, explain where you wish to go. The agent will even find out the address of bars and other spots for you if applicable and this service has very good remarks. (If without a mobile phone, try to get a business card of your destination or of something nearby.)
If you feel you have been cheated or mistreated by the driver, you (or a Chinese-speaking friend) can use the information on the printed receipt to raise a complaint to the taxi company about that particular driver. The driver will be required to pay 3x the fare if ordered by the taxi company so normally they're very good about taking the appropriate route. The printed receipt is also useful to contact the driver in case you have forgotten something in the taxi and need to get it back.
If you come across a row of parked taxis and have a choice of which one to get in to, you may wish to check the driver's taxi ID card that is posted next to or near the meter on the dash in front of the front passenger seat. The higher the number, the newer the driver, thus the likelihood that your driver will not know where he or she is going. Taxi driver ID numbers between 10XXXX and 12XXXX are likely to be the most experienced drivers (just make sure to match the picture on the ID card with that of the driver). A number of 27XXXX to 29XXXX is probably going to get you lost somewhere. Another way is to check the number of stars the driver has. These are displayed below the driver's photograph on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. The amount of stars indicates the length of time the driver has been in the taxi business and the level of positive feedback received from customers, and range from zero stars to five. Drivers with one star or more should know all major locations in Shanghai, and those with three stars should be able to recognize even lesser-known addresses. Remember that it takes time to build up these stars, and so don't panic if you find yourself with a driver who doesn't have any - just have them assure you that they know where they are going and you should be fine.
Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate the company the taxi belongs to. Turquoise taxis operated by Dazhong (大众), the largest group, are often judged the best of the bunch. Another good taxi company, Qiangsheng (强生), uses gold-colored taxis. The other large companies include Jinjiang (锦江), which uses white taxis and Bashi (巴士), which uses light green taxis. Watch out for dark red/maroon taxis, since this is the 'default' color of small taxi companies and includes more than its fair share of bad apples. Also private owned taxis (You can recognize them easily as they have an 'X' in their number plate and may not be the standard Volkswagen Santana used by most taxi companies) are among them. The dark red/maroon taxis will also go "off the meter" at times and charge rates 4x-5x the normal rate - especially around the tourist areas of the Yuyuan Gardens. Bright red taxis and blue taxis, on the other hand, are unionized and quite OK, furthermore there are more 3-star and above taxi drivers working for these companies. The bright orange taxis cover suburban areas only and are not allowed within the "city" area, but their meters start at ¥9 and count at ¥2.4/km no matter how long the journey so they're somewhat cheaper if you're not trying to get downtown (rule of thumb- if you're trying to go somewhere within the Outer Ring highway, don't get one, but if your journey ends just within it you may be able to find a driver willing to bend the rules). Also of note is the "Expo taxis"- the Volkswagen Tourans and Buick Lacrosses. Those are the only taxis allowed to travel to the Expo area. While all the large taxi companies have a few of each, Dazhong handles the reservation system for all of them (call 96822).
Foreign visitors might be surprised at the "lack" of courtesy or lines while waiting for a taxi, so don't be afraid to "jump in" and get one--it's first come, first serve. There are some taxi stops where attendants maintain a well-ordered line; this may be the fastest way to get a taxi in a busy part of town, but there are not very many of them, so expect to walk a ways to get to one.
Best of luck!
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