Get from PVG to the Bund with Didi — in English

Skip the 30-minute taxi queue. The Didi mini-program lives inside Alipay you've already installed for Tour Pass. Works in English, pays from your Tour Pass balance, no separate app to download.

✓ ¥150–220 PVG → Bund✓ English mini-program✓ Pays from Tour Pass✓ No extra app needed

Before you land

You need Alipay installed + Tour Pass activated before this works. 5-minute one-time setup — do it before your flight while you still have home Wi-Fi.

Set up Alipay Tour Pass →

Step by step

7 taps from baggage claim to your hotel

1
Switch Alipay to English (do this on the plane)
Open Alipay → bottom-right Me → top-right gear icon (Settings) → General → Language → English. The whole app + the Didi mini-program flip to English instantly.
2
Connect to data after you land
Either join Airport Free WiFi (no password at PVG & Hongqiao, but slow), or activate your eSIM. Don't skip this — Didi needs your live GPS to find you. If you don't have an eSIM yet, our eSIM guide is here.
3
Search “Didi” in Alipay
In Alipay's home tab, tap the search bar at the top. Type Didi (or 滴滴出行). Tap the first result — the orange Didi mini-program icon. After your first ride it stays pinned on your home screen for one tap next time.
4
Confirm pickup = airport terminal
The mini-program auto-detects your location. PVG arrivals will see something like Pudong Intl Airport · Terminal 2. Double-check the terminal matches the sign above your head — if you're in T1 but it says T2, tap the pickup field and pick the right one from the list.
5
Type your destination in English
Tap the Where to? field. Type your hotel name (e.g. Peninsula Shanghai), or a landmark (e.g. The Bund, Jing'an Temple, Xintiandi). Most Western chain hotels and major landmarks autocomplete in English. If yours doesn't, copy the Chinese name from your booking confirmation.
6
Pick the cheapest car class
You'll see 3–4 car options stacked vertically. Choose Express (经济型) — that's the cheapest regular car, ~30% less than Premier. Estimated price shows on the right (e.g. ¥175). This is a real estimate including tolls, not a starting bid.
7
Book → walk to the pickup zone
Tap Book. Payment auto-deducts from your Tour Pass at trip end — no upfront. Driver name + plate appear in seconds. Walk to the airport's 网约车 (ride-hail) zone:
- PVG T1: Arrivals floor → exit Gate 5 → P1 level B → look for orange 网约车 signs
- PVG T2: Arrivals → P4 floor → designated ride-hail zone
- Hongqiao T2: Arrivals → P6 floor → ride-hail zone
Driver SMS arrives in Chinese — match the last 4 digits of the plate (沪A·xx1234) to the car in front of you.

What it costs

Real Didi prices, May 2026

Route	Normal	Surge (rush / rain)
PVG → The Bund	¥150–220	¥220–330
PVG → Pudong / Lujiazui	¥80–130	¥130–200
PVG → Hongqiao Airport	¥200–280	¥280–400
Hongqiao → The Bund	¥80–120	¥120–180
Hongqiao → Jing'an / Xintiandi	¥60–100	¥100–150

Surge windows: weekday 7:30–9:30 + 17:00–19:30, heavy rain, holidays. Avoid surge by waiting 15 min or pre-booking your ride for a later time in the same screen.

If Didi doesn't work for you

Three backup paths

Metro Line 2 (cheapest, slowest)

PVG → People's Square: ¥7 + ~80 min + one transfer. Hongqiao → People's Square: ¥4 + 30 min direct. Runs ~06:00–22:30. Avoid with large luggage — the airport stretches are packed in evening rush.

Maglev train (PVG only · fast novelty)

PVG → Longyang Rd metro station in 8 minutes at 300 km/h. ¥50 one-way (¥40 with same-day boarding pass). You still need a taxi or metro from Longyang Rd to reach most hotels, so it only saves time if your destination is in Pudong.

Metered taxi (the line at arrivals)

¥180–280 PVG → Bund, similar to non-surge Didi. Pay cash or with Alipay's in-cab QR. The driver almost certainly won't speak English — show them the Chinese hotel name via our Translate page. Late-night queue can hit 45 min at PVG; Didi's often faster after midnight.

Common gotchas

Five things first-timers trip on

Driver SMS only comes in Chinese. Don't panic — you only need to match the last 4 digits of the plate to the car. The text content is mostly "driver has arrived".
Tour Pass auto-tops-up if low. If your Tour Pass balance is under ¥100, Alipay will prompt you to top up before booking. Top up ¥200–300 before you head to the airport so this doesn't block you.
Late-night arrivals (after 23:00). Didi works 24/7 but the queue at PVG ride-hail zone can hit 30 min. Metro stops at 22:30. Maglev runs until 22:00. After midnight, Didi is the only realistic option besides taxi.
The driver might call you. They'll speak Chinese. Use our Talk translate — press, speak in English, release, phone plays Chinese. They usually just want to confirm your terminal.
If Didi can't find a driver in 5 min, cancel and tap the smaller Premier tier. ¥40–60 more but allocation is near-instant during surge.