BlaakLane.com arranges Shanghai Pudong airport transfers at a fixed fare you see before you book. Add your flight number and the hotel or office address; the chauffeur tracks the flight into Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, allows 60 free minutes from the actual landing on international arrivals, and picks you up at PVG's designated area for pre-booked cars.
Booking a car from Pudong
Enter Pudong International Airport in the reservation engine above or on book, add the flight number, and type your destination in English or paste the Chinese address from your hotel confirmation. Choose a vehicle and you will see the fixed price: no meter, no surge and no extra charge if the Middle Ring Road is slow. Include passenger names and a phone number that works in China.
Shanghai trips are driven by a vetted local affiliate operator from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, working to the BlaakLane.com written standard. The reservations and dispatch desk in Toronto runs 24/7 and your confirmation names the operator and chauffeur. Chauffeurs in mainland China often speak limited English, which is one reason we ask for the local-language address and a working mobile number.
Terminal 1 and Terminal 2
| Building | Typical airlines | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and SkyTeam partners, plus others | Linked to satellite S1 |
| Terminal 2 | Air China, Star Alliance and oneworld airlines, many foreign carriers | Linked to satellite S2 |
| Satellite S1 and S2 | Remote concourses | Passengers ride an internal train to the main terminal for arrivals |
A third terminal is being built to the south of the existing buildings. Until it opens, your arrival will be at T1 or T2, and your flight number lets our system follow the right one. If you land at a satellite, add 10 to 15 minutes for the internal transit.
Pickup routine at PVG
Standard service is a curbside pickup at the area Pudong designates for pre-arranged and online-booked cars, which at both terminals is reached from the arrivals level. After immigration and baggage, message the chauffeur for the exact door or car-park level. The chauffeur waits with the car. If you would like to be met at the arrivals exit with a name board, add meet and greet when you book; add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Arrival formalities in China
China has widened visa-free entry for many passports and extended its visa-free transit programme to longer stays for travellers heading to a third country, but the rules depend on nationality, length of stay and onward ticket. Check the current conditions with the National Immigration Administration or your nearest Chinese embassy before you fly. Most passengers clear immigration and customs in 30 to 60 minutes. Your 60 free minutes start at the actual landing; after that, waiting is charged in 15-minute blocks.
How far is Pudong Airport from downtown?
The airport is on the coast east of the city, about 30 kilometres from Lujiazui and 45 kilometres from Jing'an. China drives on the right.
- Lujiazui financial district: 35 to 55 minutes
- The Bund and Huangpu: 45 to 70 minutes
- Jing'an and Nanjing West Road: 50 to 75 minutes
- Xintiandi and the former French Concession: 50 to 75 minutes
- Zhangjiang Science City: 25 to 40 minutes
- Shanghai Disney Resort: 20 to 35 minutes
- Hongqiao transport hub and the National Exhibition and Convention Center: 60 to 90 minutes
Maglev, Metro or car?
The Shanghai Maglev covers the 30 kilometres to Longyang Road in about eight minutes, which is a memorable ride, but it drops you in outer Pudong where you still need a taxi or Metro Line 2 to reach most hotels. Metro Line 2 runs all the way to Jing'an and Hongqiao, slowly, and the airport link line connects Pudong with Hongqiao. With luggage, children or a meeting to prepare for, a private car door to door is usually simpler and often quicker overall.
Which vehicle for which trip?
Solo travellers heading to a Lujiazui tower do well with a Standard Sedan or a Luxury Executive Sedan (S-Class class). Chairmen and family office principals often choose the Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach). Families and small teams with suitcases fit a Standard Black SUV (6 passengers, 6 bags) or an Executive Black SUV. Trade fair teams, crews and study tours use the Sprinter Van (12 passengers, 12 small bags), while a roadshow team travelling light suits the Sprinter Luxury Jet Van (7, carry-on only). The Luxury Stretch Limo and Party Bus are event vehicles. Details are on the fleet page.
Trade fairs and the Hongqiao exhibition centre
Shanghai's largest exhibitions, including the China International Import Expo, which is usually held in November, take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center beside Hongqiao, 60 to 90 minutes from Pudong. For exhibitors and delegations, event transportation and multi-vehicle group transportation are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing, with shuttles timed to arrivals.
Corporate travel and investor meetings
Shanghai is China's commercial capital, and much of the PVG work is for corporate travellers and financial roadshows moving between Lujiazui, Jing'an and Hongqiao. An airport pickup can roll straight into hourly chauffeur service for the day, with a three-hour minimum. Corporate accounts provide monthly invoicing, cost centres and traveller profiles through corporate accounts.
Transferring to Hongqiao or the high-speed train
Many travellers land at Pudong and take a domestic flight from Shanghai Hongqiao or a high-speed train from Hongqiao Railway Station to Beijing, Hangzhou or Nanjing. Allow 60 to 90 minutes by car between the two, plus check-in or security time for the train.
Where visitors to Shanghai usually stay
Most business travellers landing at Pudong head for one of three areas. Lujiazui, on the east bank of the Huangpu, is the financial district of towers such as the Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, with several large hotels inside them. The Bund and the streets behind it hold historic hotels and the riverfront restaurants. Jing'an, around Nanjing West Road, is the main Puxi office and luxury shopping district. Tell us the hotel name as well as the street address, because chauffeurs in Shanghai navigate as much by building names as by numbers.
Payments, apps and phones in Shanghai
Visitors often find that everyday life in mainland China runs on mobile payment apps and that some foreign websites and messaging services do not work on local networks. Your BlaakLane.com booking is paid in advance, so there is nothing to settle with the chauffeur. What matters on arrival is a phone that can receive calls and texts: an international roaming plan or a local SIM bought in the arrivals hall both work. If you cannot reach the chauffeur, the Toronto desk can call them for you and relay the pickup point.
Arriving late at night or very early
Pudong has flights around the clock, and many long-haul arrivals from Europe land in the early morning. Metro Line 2 and the Maglev stop running in the late evening, which leaves taxis and pre-booked cars as the only options after hours. At that time of night the drive to the Bund can take as little as 40 minutes. For early departures, allow at least three hours before an international flight during the morning peak, when the Outer Ring Road and the airport approach roads fill with trucks.
What you pay for
Your Pudong fare includes the vehicle and chauffeur for the route, flight tracking and included waiting. See rates for planning ranges. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show.
More on Shanghai
Our Shanghai chauffeur service guide covers districts, hotels and events. Cruise passengers should see the Wusongkou cruise terminal page. Official airport information is on the Shanghai Airport Authority site.
