Comments on: Taxi drivers are OK OK http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/ A Shanghai blog; a Chinese blog about China. By Swiss James Creegan Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:05:38 +0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Jamieson http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60988 Jamieson Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:12:25 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60988 Yeah, there are some sneaky pricks. A classic trick is to put smaller tyres on the rims so there are more spins per km, more meter pulses. Know your average fare and argue if you are being gouged. Did a trip recently, meter just rolled over to 16 kuai on arrival, driver said 15 was fine. He knows, and I know the fare is 15. Chatting in Chinese the whole way back, he figures I'm not a newbie. That's fair..... You never know your luck ! J. Yeah, there are some sneaky pricks. A classic trick is to put smaller tyres on the rims so there are more spins per km, more meter pulses.

Know your average fare and argue if you are being gouged.

Did a trip recently, meter just rolled over to 16 kuai on arrival, driver said 15 was fine. He knows, and I know the fare is 15. Chatting in Chinese the whole way back, he figures I’m not a newbie.

That’s fair…..

You never know your luck !

J.

]]> By: WoAi http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60811 WoAi Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:02:33 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60811 @ Charleybeijing - Almost identical to my Beijing experience above. The argument started when I took his licence and refused to put it back on the dashboard, instead throwing it on the front seat. He physically prevented me from leaving so I had to call the police. @ Charleybeijing – Almost identical to my Beijing experience above. The argument started when I took his licence and refused to put it back on the dashboard, instead throwing it on the front seat. He physically prevented me from leaving so I had to call the police.

]]> By: Charleybeijing http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60810 Charleybeijing Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:12:59 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60810 I totally agree with AnJie there aren't many cabbies in Europe who will switch off their meters when they admit they are lost or take the wrong exit - and yes these are the guys i tip. Two bad experiences a) a trip from the Shangri La Pudong to M on the Bund , guy tried to charge me 180 RMB despite the meter being about 25... b) a cab in Beijing dropped a friend off and then took me home somehow the journey that cost me 30 everyday showed 80 on the meter ( something dodgy there then!). He went absolutely nuts when i refused to pay more than 30. He had to be restrained by the security guards at my compound and when the police turned up after i called them told them the stupid laowai spoke English so he didn't understand me. Thankfully the police seemed happy with my level of basic mandarin at least i can say enough to explain a guy tried to rip me off and then tried to hit me as a woman so they told him to **** off and i got a free trip home albeit rather a shaken up. Best advice i can give is at first sign of trouble take their licence from the windscreen and sit on it until you reach your destination - they don't like it but tend to play ball! I totally agree with AnJie there aren’t many cabbies in Europe who will switch off their meters when they admit they are lost or take the wrong exit – and yes these are the guys i tip.

Two bad experiences a) a trip from the Shangri La Pudong to M on the Bund , guy tried to charge me 180 RMB despite the meter being about 25…

b) a cab in Beijing dropped a friend off and then took me home somehow the journey that cost me 30 everyday showed 80 on the meter ( something dodgy there then!). He went absolutely nuts when i refused to pay more than 30. He had to be restrained by the security guards at my compound and when the police turned up after i called them told them the stupid laowai spoke English so he didn’t understand me. Thankfully the police seemed happy with my level of basic mandarin at least i can say enough to explain a guy tried to rip me off and then tried to hit me as a woman so they told him to **** off and i got a free trip home albeit rather a shaken up.

Best advice i can give is at first sign of trouble take their licence from the windscreen and sit on it until you reach your destination – they don’t like it but tend to play ball!

]]> By: Swiss James http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60809 Swiss James Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:42:23 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60809 CK1- I'd be nervous having a taxi driver with such poor eyesight. CK1- I’d be nervous having a taxi driver with such poor eyesight.

]]> By: CK1 http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60808 CK1 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:42:36 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60808 Shanghai cab drivers are probably the most honest i have ever met anywhere, seriously. No 'Meter broken', 'Do you want to go to my friends rug shop' or 'These bloody immigrants are ruining this great nation'. Good people Shanghai cabbies, one even told me once i was very handsome, how cool is that? Shanghai cab drivers are probably the most honest i have ever met anywhere, seriously.

No ‘Meter broken’, ‘Do you want to go to my friends rug shop’ or ‘These bloody immigrants are ruining this great nation’.

Good people Shanghai cabbies, one even told me once i was very handsome, how cool is that?

]]> By: Jamieson http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60807 Jamieson Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:47:07 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60807 I once did a taxi ride here in Suzhou. 13 km. Average speed 111 km/hr. I still have the receipt to show my disbelieving friends. It was a Passat, and I nervously reached for and buckled the seat belt, avoiding the passenger airbag with my backpack thrown on to the back seat. I thought I was on the Starship Enterprise in suburban Suzhou. "Xiao Xing ah, Man man ah...." Perhaps the driver was on acid. This is a TRUE story. Z. I once did a taxi ride here in Suzhou. 13 km. Average speed 111 km/hr. I still have the receipt to show my disbelieving friends.

It was a Passat, and I nervously reached for and buckled the seat belt, avoiding the passenger airbag with my backpack thrown on to the back seat.

I thought I was on the Starship Enterprise in suburban Suzhou.

“Xiao Xing ah, Man man ah….”

Perhaps the driver was on acid.

This is a TRUE story.

Z.

]]> By: WoAi http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60805 WoAi Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:36:52 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60805 @ Jenn - Maybe it's because you're a girl it's only happened once. I've lost count on the number of times that's happened to me. They always stop the meter though and on every occasion, they did ask first. @ Jenn – Maybe it’s because you’re a girl it’s only happened once. I’ve lost count on the number of times that’s happened to me. They always stop the meter though and on every occasion, they did ask first.

]]> By: Jenn http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60804 Jenn Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:00:49 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60804 Last week I took a taxi home and about halfway through the trip the driver pulled over, got out of the car and came around to my side, turned his back to the window (thankfully) and proceeded to take a piss. That was awesome. Last week I took a taxi home and about halfway through the trip the driver pulled over, got out of the car and came around to my side, turned his back to the window (thankfully) and proceeded to take a piss. That was awesome.

]]> By: T http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60803 T Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:27:39 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60803 To AnJie's point, once I was in a cab going home and right when it pulled up to stop, the meter flipped from 20 to 21, so I gave the cab 21 and he said "no, it's not fair" and gave me back 1 RMB. To AnJie’s point, once I was in a cab going home and right when it pulled up to stop, the meter flipped from 20 to 21, so I gave the cab 21 and he said “no, it’s not fair” and gave me back 1 RMB.

]]> By: AnJie http://ispyshanghai.com/2009/03/06/taxi-drivers-are-ok-ok/comment-page-1/#comment-60802 AnJie Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:18:14 +0000 http://ispyshanghai.com/?p=2086#comment-60802 Now, China is the only place I have been (and I HAVE BEEN some places) where when the taxi drivers make a mistake, they will often flip off the meter and end the fare early so you don't have to pay for their mistake. I am always heartened by this because it's really their choice to do this. Once in a while, if the fare is say 16 rmb and I give a 20, they will hesitate before giving the change, but it is very rarely. It really does help to speak a little Chinese to them - only the real suckers don't speak any Chinese! By the way, a little cute movie about taxies in Shanghai is (I only know the English title) "One Night in Shanghai". In that movie, going from Hongqiao to the Bund only takes 6 seconds. Now, China is the only place I have been (and I HAVE BEEN some places) where when the taxi drivers make a mistake, they will often flip off the meter and end the fare early so you don’t have to pay for their mistake. I am always heartened by this because it’s really their choice to do this. Once in a while, if the fare is say 16 rmb and I give a 20, they will hesitate before giving the change, but it is very rarely. It really does help to speak a little Chinese to them – only the real suckers don’t speak any Chinese! By the way, a little cute movie about taxies in Shanghai is (I only know the English title) “One Night in Shanghai”. In that movie, going from Hongqiao to the Bund only takes 6 seconds.

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