My number one absolute pet peeve is when stubborn taxi drivers refuse to listen to my instructions and either go the route they think is best (then we end up stuck in traffic for an extra 20 minutes) or in the case of the other night, refuses to stop where I asked and insisted on driving past where I wanted to stop and turning the next corner before stopping. His excuse was that stopping is not permitted on that street, although I have stopped at the same spot about 300 times without any problems.
So, I get out and haven’t decided yet whether I am going to pay him or not. He’s obviously had this problem before because quick as lightening he’s out of the car too, worried I am going to do a runner. I say I’m not paying unless he gets back in the car and stops where I asked him to stop. He insists he can’t stop there. I point out that there were other taxis stopping there as we passed and his response was “so if other people step in shit should I do that too?”
Well that’s a valid response if there were people pouring petrol over themselves and then setting themselves on fire, but I think in this case it was a bit irrelevant.
But what really got me was another guy who was just passing buy and had no connection to our little dispute. And yet he started to point his finger at me and sided with the driver who was insisting I could complain and report him but I still had to pay first.
As I was with a UK colleague who was a little shocked to see these events unfold, I didn’t want it to escalate further so I paid and left, but not before exchanging insults and pointing out with gestures his severe case of halitosis which almost made the whole thing kick off all over again.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:50 am
too bad, sorry to hear that. I got cheated by the taxi drivers in shanghai hundreds of times…
January 21st, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Sorry dude, but you sound like a little bitch here. Did you have to walk a whole 1 or 2 minutes to your spot?
I think taxi drivers in SH are really good and I wish all drivers followed the rules like this guy. I know most do whatever their selfish desires tell them, including some assholes who park their car IN the road on 1 lane Wulumuqi Lu at 6pm… and wankers that make the taxi stop in the middle of a busy road and wait for their damn fapio, but don’t be that guy.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:22 pm
@EQ – Ah yes, I can see how you would mistake me for “that guy” from this post, so let me assure you firstly I am not that type of guy and secondly, I detest those guys more than you could possibly know, the spoiled laowai syndrome, like the French woman screaming at the waiter because the waiter doesn’t understand her heavy French accent which even an English person would struggle with. Also, I think in general Shanghai taxi drivers are better than most cities. It’s just now and then you get one who is so stubborn that he will refuse to stop somewhere that is PERFECTLY LEGAL because he sees there’s a policeman parked close by or in this case, simply because he was a jack ass. There is no rule that makes stopping there illegal. If there was I would not ask him to stop there because I hate it just as much when taxis stop right on junctions and hold up all the other traffic. Hope that’s cleared it up for you.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Ok ok, cleared up.
French snops really piss me off too. The local norm of not giving a shit about anyone else is fundamental problem. It is contagious, but we must resit.
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:45 am
Cheated hundreds of times? I find that difficult to believe here in Shanghai. Maybe 2-3 times. But if you stick to the pastel taxis (Da Zhong and Haibao are my choices) and know your way around (and if you’re taking enough rides to be cheated hundreds of times – you really should), then there’s no way you would be cheated on a regular basis.
Also, Guangzhou taxis will cheat you – especially if you speak Mandarin.
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:51 am
hundreds of times is exaggerated i admit. i just overstate sometimes and assume people know i was joking. bad habit i guess. i did try to argue with the drivers when i felt the wrong way, but they always won. so i just let them do their good job and say nothing.
next time i will stick to the ones you recommend, thanks!
sometimes it’s so hard to get a cab and you would jump in whatever moving thing you can catch.
they really that bad in guanzhou? i speak cantonese so i’m not sure. but i think the yellow ones from 廣俊 (company name) are the best ’cause they never ask you how to get to your destination.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
you’d better not come exaggerating on my blog jeffwho, I run a tight ship you know..
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:42 am
Yeah Gaungzhou is the worst. You know what they say about Cantonese speakers.
Never ever trust those people! Crooks I say.
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 am
Maybe the title, “I Love China” should be changed.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:58 am
To?
Well now you know why they all cycle. Seriously, though, I cant imagine what it must be like knowing that each time you get into a cab you could end up having a row with an ignorant driver. Hope you tipped him with some tic tacs
January 24th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
@T – I know Guangzhou roads about as well as I know Istanbul, but speaking Cantonese always seems to put some doubt in the drivers mind, enough that they won’t dare try to trick me.
@Jeffwho – The yellow ones only employ Guangzhou people so they all speak Cantonese. I guess it’s the GZ equivalent of Da Zhong in Shanghai in that they are more reliable.
@Rich – It’s not that bad, only the odd occasion where there’s a problem. Like the Tic Tac tip though, will have to try that one next time.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Sounds like you just had a pedantic driver, there is a lot of retraining going in preparation for world expo, maybe this is one of the new rules, and all drivers are getting new shiny taxis, maybe the spot you chose was too dirty for his new cab?
my favourite taxi cheat in shanghai of all time was in the 90s, he drove for 20 mins and then got a flat tire. As he stopped I looked out the window and noted we were at exactly the same location we had started at. Didn’t pay him, but he tried hard to get his fare, fair cop I say. And there was the guy who I got in his cab twice in one day, he was so shocked he thought we should become blood brothers.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Complaining about this a tad too much, perhaps?
Maybe he was right- maybe taxis are not allowed to stop there. Just because others are ignoring the rules doesn’t mean that they all do.
And he had a valid point- if you want to complain about it, go through the proper procedure. You would have to do the same in the UK- you can’t be expected just not to pay if he dropped you a little bit from the exact place you wanted to be.
Sorry, I am not on your side on this one.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:50 am
And let me ask you- how do you know that it is perfectly legal to park in that place? You don’t drive in Shanghai, you don’t know the laws of parking etc etc.
How many times have taxis stopped on a pedestrian crossing in this city? Loads for me. And yet it is not legal for them to stop there. There must be many more places where they cannot stop.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:59 am
@bub – If I were going to cheat a passenger I would never drive round in a complete circle. Surely even someone new to Shanghai would realise it was the same place! I like your twice in one day story though. I’ve had that. Not in one day but the driver remembered me much to my amazement from our previous discussions about living in London vs Shanghai.
@Stimpy – Fair enough I suppose. The reason I wasn’t prepared to complain after paying is that I have tried several times and nothing happened, so it’s just a way for them to get away with it. In England I suppose there’s slightly more chance you could get a result from complaining. I once went from Pudong to the Bund and the meter was 3 times what it normally cost. The driver said “oh just pay me and then complain if you like” knowing full well that he would get away with the scam.
On the other point, I have a Beijing and Shanghai drivers license and have driven in both cities, although I don’t currently have a car in Shanghai. I do know where cars can stop and where they can’t. And like you, I hate it when taxis stop in the middle lane to drop off passengers or on a junction, so it’s not like I am in favour of ignoring the rules.
January 25th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
the trick is to look like a FOB (or local, whatever) like me and speak with the strongest prc accent you can muster
January 26th, 2010 at 12:35 am
yes, if I was a taxi driver I would be more imaginative, there are many ways you could do your passengers heads in- “Shaanxi lu? No, you said Shanxi lu,” is still the favourite.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
@Bub – My office is actually on Shan Xi Lu!
@Jill – The drivers prey on FOBs, they’re easy targets. Unless you speak Shanghainese, you’re not immune from drivers trying to scam you.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:56 am
This post made me laugh! Too many times has the same thing happened to me while taking a taxi to work.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:58 am
And next time I wish you more luck!
January 31st, 2010 at 11:39 am
Ok, not all taxi drivers at good. Just the other night, coming back from Pudong airport I dozed off for a while. Woke up and not sure where we where…then I realized this asshole had gone the longest way possible almost to Hongqiao (I live in Jingan).
So I just let him take me to my flat, got my suitcase, called the security guys over and then walked away without paying a thing. Charge was RMB 220 vs. the normal RMB 160 and 1/2 hour cheaper.
Doing what I can to teach people!
January 31st, 2010 at 1:26 pm
@EQ – Yes exactly the same has happened to me. I made an excuse saying I need my luggage because my money is in there then just walked off. If you pay them what it’s supposed to be they have nothing to lose by trying it every time, because they will always at least get what they should and might get more. This way, they lose 160 rmb and will reconsider next time. Well, that’s the theory anyway.
February 1st, 2010 at 8:13 am
I hope you complained about the attempted rip off, even though you didn’t pay him
February 1st, 2010 at 9:41 am
@Rich – Oh I did a lot better than that. I wrote him a very stronger worded letter. I think he learned his lesson!
February 1st, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Ahhh, jolly good. A strongly worded letter would indeed lead such a rogue to question his moral standing in life. Well done old chap!