Beijing taxis: how do they fare?
A recent China Law Blog post provoked commentators to contrast Beijing and Shanghai taxi drivers. In my humble opinion, it comes down to one word - consistency.
Most Shanghai cabbies tend to have reasonably clean cabs and give reasonably good service. Beijing cabbies, in contrast, are all over the map. The taxis here range from spotless and fresh to filthy and smelling like the driver uses the glove compartment for composting. Some drivers readily turn the radio volume up or down, while others get offended and act as though you should feel privileged to be in their cab. They span the “friendliest guy in the world” to those who look as though they might slit passengers’ throats and stuff their bodies in the trunk (maybe that’s where the smell comes from).
But this is simply one rider’s opinion. To test it, I kept notes on the five Beijing taxis I took last Thursday.
1. The aroma of the taxi’s interior hovered between “moist tobacco” and “five-day-old skid-marked shorts” (don’t ask). The driver hustled me to work, provided change, and rode off without uttering a word, although he did grunt an affirmation when I provided my intended address.
2. This guy asked me if I was from Europe. I told him no. He said “okay”, played a Bob Marley CD and hummed along as I sang the choruses. We joked about how to translate “No Woman, No Cry” and it seemed as though he related the song to his marriage.
3. I clearly emphasized I wanted to go to Hua Reun Building, not Hua Reun Hotel, but the driver headed for the latter. Just when we got on track, he spotted a friend in another car and basically waved me out of the cab so he could stop and chat. I left without paying and walked off. He pulled up a few minutes later to offer a ride. I refused. Not only because he had been unprofessional, but also because his breath smelled like he’d eaten a month-old tuna and garlic sandwich wrapped in a dirty diaper.
4. Twenty seconds into the ride, this driver pointed to a public toilet and indicated with explicit body language that he needed to use it. I told him I was in a hurry. He drove on and became increasingly sullen. I gave him a four-kuai tip because I felt guilty.
5. This guy had his radio on loud, even though it only played static, but turned it down when requested. He used a flattened straw to clean out his ears while he drove. The trip was otherwise uneventful.
All over the map…
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[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptA recent China Law Blog post provoked commentators to contrast Beijing and Shanghai taxi drivers. In my humble opinion, it comes down to one word - consistency. Most Shanghai cabbies tend to have reasonably clean cabs and give … […]
i completely agree! there should be a chinarant style website for all the insane stories everyone living in the city is sure to have. i spend nearly two hours a day (on a good day!) in taxis going from one end of the city to the other for work and after over a year of this hellish commute, i can categorically say that it is the single worst aspect about living in china.
also, did you notice that when the taxis all got their “non smoking” stickers, their cars were also cleaned top to bottom? it’s only been a couple of weeks, but this morning i noticed a thin layer of filth already accumulating on the dash. c’est la vie!
I’ve written this before, but I don’t care if they come to work smelling like Hannibel Lecter’s garbage disposal…just KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING. Even the simplest places with the the most complete address/location information imaginable, rendered in the best Mandarin possible, can still send a Beijing cabbie into a head- and belly-scratching frenzy of confusion. “Errrr, zenme zou’r? Wo bu renshi zhege di’r” is poised to replace “one world, one dream” as the Olympic slogan in the coming year.
SL,
I’m going with air pollution as the worst aspect of living here, but the taxis certainly rank up there.
Cheers, Boyce
Jeremiah,
That’s what annoyed me with driven number three - I go to Hua Reun Building every day and I’ve had the experience of being whisked to the hotel inside, and I ALWAYS emphasize it’s the building, not the hotel. Alack and alas…
Cheers, Boyce
Beijing taxis beat the Shanghai ones hands down, especially when you’ve been drinking.
The reason? The Beijing ones have functioning suspensions! The shock absorbers are completely dead on ALL Shanghai taxis, unless the car in question is brand new and straight out of the dealership.
Believe me, these things matter when you’ve had a few drinks. The typical Shanghai taxi driver rush-brake-rush-brake driving style don’t help either.
William,
Uh… I don’t know about that. They may have better shocks but the smell of some of these taxis may cause someone who is hovering on the edge of sickness to fall right over it. I think the two cross each other out.
Cheers, Boyce
My taxi driver didn’t even know how to get from Jiadaokou to Tiananmen the other day! I’m not asking for the ‘knowledge’ (or price) of London cabbies but come on.
Beijing cabbies seem not to have a listening gene. They decide where you should be going based on where they think foreigners tend to go and then they take you there. Foreigners go to hotels, not buildings. Hence your problem.
@ Andy,
Are you sure it wasn’t your fault? I mean, did you give the driver the address in Mandarin, Shanghainese, and at least ten minority languages, provide it in printed Chinese (24-point font), and show a map that identified Tiananmen both with text and pictures?
Kidding aside, I find most taxi drivers know the city and usually take an efficient route. My problem is the unpredictability of service and state of the vehicles. Re the latter, this is the worst part of year. Colder weather means the car windows go up, the heat goes on, and a full summer of bum sweat is roasted from the car seats. That can be, um, unpleasant.
Cheers, Boyce
@ CLB,
Yes, that certainly happened to me with the second cab driver, though I would guess about 90-95 percent of the time, they get the building, not the hotel. Or maybe I have been taking the same route for three years, and my Mandarin is getting better.
Cheers, Boyce
While there are lots of problems with Beiijng taxis, I think we should have a look at the other end of the spectrum too. The best service I ever had was on a Saturday evening, going from the South of the city to the East. When I told the driver that I was from Germany, he started singing a German chorale by Beethoven. He was done before I got to my destination (it was a long song, but a longer ride), so I also got the first verse of O Sole Mio!
Hi Jean-Marie,
That’s my point - Beijing drivers range from excellent to excruciatingly bad whereas in Shanghai they tend to be more consistent.
I’ve had great taxi drivers here, but every day when I head to work, I don’t know if I’m going to get one of these guys or someone on the other end of the spectrum.
Cheers, Boyce