Compared across countries

How do you get a taxi?

For a trip that crosses borders — the same question, answered country by country.

The pattern

The street hail is disappearing unevenly. It still works in Japan and Taiwan, is losing to apps in Korea, and is effectively gone in China. Thailand and Vietnam keep it but attach a condition — insist on the meter, and know which companies are the real ones.

Japan

Raise a hand at any vacant taxi, or queue at a station rank. A red sign in the windscreen means it is free.
China

Through an app. Beijing's own guidance says waving at the kerb is so obsolete it barely works — DiDi, with an English interface, is how rides happen.
Thailand

Insist on the meter — switching it off for a fixed price is illegal, and 1584 is the government hotline for reporting it. Tuk-tuks have no meter, so that price is negotiated before you get in.
Vietnam

By brand, not by chance: the tourism board names the reputable metered firms — Mai Linh in green, Vinasun in white, Taxi Group in Hanoi — and the apps work if you have a local SIM.
South Korea

Apps do most of the work. Street hailing works, but a driver may pass on a destination they do not fancy.
Taiwan

Flag a yellow cab on the street — the meter does the rest. There is even an English-language hotline, 0800-055-850, that orders one for you.

Sort the practical stuff before you fly.