天美麻豆

I know this post is almost two years old but I'll respond to it.

What do you think about the means of transportation in Suzhou ?

I think, transportation is very accessible in Suzhou. Lots of cabs and buses around. Private cars are abundant. Bicycles and scooters are common.聽

Is the network of means of transportation well developed?

Yes

What modes of transport are available?
Cars, taxi cabs, buses, bicyles, scooters, subway trains, trains.

Do you use them?
I've used the taxi cabs and bus.

How much is a fare?
Buses in Suzhou charge a flat rate of 2 RMB regardless of how near or far your stop is. If you buy a bus card (for 100 RMB, I think the card is 30-36 RMB and the remaining balance is the initial load of the card). If you use the bus card, the rate will only be 1.60 RMB instead of the usual 2 RMB if you used your coins. *If you're using cash to pay for the bus ride, make sure you have exact change. The driver will not give you change if you pay more than 2 RMB.

For taxi cabs, there's three type of cabs. One is colored green, the other gold and the last is black. The green taxi has a flag down rate of 11 RMB and charges 1 RMB per kilometer of travel. Yes, it's very economical! I've never taken the gold taxi but I heard it also has a flag down rate of 11 RMB but charges more per km traveled. Finally the black taxi cab is the most expensive among the three as the flag down is 15 RMB. But it has the more modern fleet of cars compared to the other two lones.


Are they relatively safe?
Yes, they're relatively safe though make sure to hold on to something when riding the bus to brace yourself for the sudden brakes and sudden turns made by the driver.

Be warned though. There are also some illegal taxi cabs operating. They're unmarked and they're ordinary cars whose driver will pull up to you and ask you where you're going. Pay them no attention lest you get yourself mugged or raped (that's according to a fellow expat who's been in Suzhou for 3 years now.)

What is the mean of transportation you use the most in Suzhou?
I use the taxi cab and bus most often of the time in my nearly 3-week stay here so far.