Useful Info and Emergency Contacts

This service, operated by Beijing Municipal Red Cross, deploys 160 vehicles from a network of 64 bases around the capital. Vehicle positions are monitored by GPS, and under arrangement with China Mobile, the 999 service can trace callers with GPS-enabled phones to within a few dozen meters. The 999 service is confined to the Beijing municipality: outside Beijing the 120 number should always be used. Both the 120 and 999 services charge users at the time of transport. Fees are low by Western standards.

Operated by the Beijing Emergency Medical Center near Qianmen, the 120 service has about 100 vehicles, dispatched from five bases around the city under centralized GPS control. Both the 120 and 999 services charge users at the time of transport. Fees are low by Western standards. The 120 service charges RMB 5 per km for its largest vehicle model, plus extra fees for treatments en route. The 999 service is usually a bit more expensive.

Provides an all-in-one service that includes translating your home license, booking your road test, arranging the eye exam, preparing your application, supplying an English language version of China’s Road Traffic Safety Rules and Regulations and paying all fees. They’ll even take you to and from the test center.

Takes complaints concerning taxis, minibuses or other vehicles. No operator, but an English recording gives instructions for faxing your complaint – which of course will make you feel much better. (6835 1150, fax 6831 5960)