I bike, but the buses just spew black smoke in my face while the taxis cut me off.

I actually prefer to take the bike taxis. If you can quote them the cost of a taxi to your destination they will quote you 5 kuai less. Apparently this is the standard. Much more abundant than taxis, cheaper and quicker as you are less likely to be stuck in traffic.

I take the bus if and when I know the number for where I need to go, but to be honest I would rather bike taxi for 20 minutes than stand in a stinky, sweaty bus for 45 minutes.
Talking of eco buses. I spotted one today. Waited for the black cloud as the bus passed me, nothing! I hope we can get these buses city wide.

Bicycles, eco-buses and the new underground trains seem the best we can do.

There is an app service where you can book a taxi for instant travel. It sends an SMS and a nearby taxi using the app will respond. Costs 10 kuai extra, but for longer or more inconvenient trips it is worth the money.

The new BYD suv taxis are apparently hybrid

the byd are mostly elec. i saw the charge port where the gas tank is supposed to be. they are all owned by the same company.

@tiger

the app is only in Chinese though right?

there are quite a few apps. youll need to go to your chinese bank and enable internet banking in order to pay. all the apps are in chinese but basic

DIDI Da Che is an easy APP to use for getting taxis. You can elect to give a tip but only if taxi drivers are busy and not replying. You can also book a taxi to certain places from your selected pickup point. Once you select the driver that replies to your request for booking s/he will call you to confirm details. You pay the driver (if using DIDI) the money, not through a 3rd party banking system. The App is in Chinese.