When Taxiing is                   Taxing

                                                           by Li Mingxia

Jelina Madir, 23, from Dartmouth College, came to Beijing last year to study for one month in Beijing. When she came out of the terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport, a taxi driver came up. He offered to take her to her destination, the Beijing Language and Culture University in Haidian District. Since Madir knew nothing about Beijing taxi, she agreed and accepted the price the driver asked -- 400 yuan ($48).

Of course, Madir later discovered how the taxi works in Beijing. She was very frustrated. This was her first experience in her first visit to Beijing.

Sam Wood of California said he was charged an outrageous price for the ride for Capital Airport from city. He joked, "If you guys go to airport three times, I'm sure you will get six different prices."

His words reflect the condition of taxis in Beijing. In the city, taxi is well-regulated, and few taxi drivers dare to cheat passengers. But between airport and city, the situation is different.

First, drivers are reluctant to turn on the meter. Don't even try to bargain with the driver. It's not like the Silk Market; at least there you know what you are buying. If you know nothing about the distance, passengers are in a very disadvantaged position when bargaining with the driver. So, my suggestion is not to take such a taxi.

What about the prices?

There are basically three classes of taxis, each with a different price. The red price card on the window shows the supplementary rate after the basic rate has expired. Most common ones are Xiali, the red or yellow small cab. It charges 10.4 yuan ($1.24) for the first four kilometers, 1.6 yuan ($0.19) for every kilometer after that and 2.4 yuan ($0.28) for every kilometer after 15 kilometers. Luxury sedan taxis, such as Santanta, cost 12 yuan ($1.44) for the first four kilometers and 2 yuan ($0.24) per kilometer thereafter, and 3 yuan ($0.36) per kilometer after 15 kilometers. The yellow minivans (miandi) cost 10 yuan ($1.20) for the first 10 kilometers and 1.5 yuan ($0.18) per kilometer after 10 kilometers.

All taxis have a surcharge for waiting or low-speed driving during heavy traffic. Five minutes' waiting time is the same charge as 1 kilometer. Low-speed driving causes 20 percent surcharge for the distance. Taking a taxi between 11pm and 5am also incurs a 20 percent surcharge on the initial fee.

Any expressway toll (guo lu fei) or toll bridge charge (guo qiao fei) is to be paid by the passenger.

What is illegal?

1. Refusing to take passengers (ju zai). If the taxi stops and the driver knows where the passenger is going and refuses to take him or her, the driver should be reported.

2. Charging more money than is shown on the meter, except for toll charges.

3. Asking for tips.

4. Taking a detour or take the long way round.

5. Asking for foreign currency. (If you don't have yuan, be careful. US$1 equals about 8.3 yuan)

6. Causing the meter to run incorrectly.

7. Charging the passenger a toll-road fee if the did not go on the expressway.

8. Refusing to give a receipt when asked to.

How to deal with this situation?

Refuse the unreasonable request. If that doesn't work, you can call the Complaint Office of the Taxi Administration Bureau. Tel: 6835-1150. However, if you don't speak Chinese, you must find someone to help you who does, since none of the complaint operators speaks English. In most cases, the operator will ask you the details (taxi number, company name, the nature of the complaint, your address, and so on). They will investigate and give you a reply. If the complaint is successful, the overcharged money will be returned, and the driver will be fined by the administration and the company to which he or she belongs.

For your information ...

1. Miandis are not allowed to go to the airport terminals. Furthermore, miandi drivers are not willing to go to the airport because it is hard for them to get passengers for a return trip.

2. Taxis that line up in front of hotels generally charge the 12-yuan initial fee and the 2-yuan rate.

3. The only place to get a taxi at the airport is outside the terminal.

4. The distances from airport to the following location are listed below. The listed distances are just for reference. They may vary according to the route the taxi driver takes, and actual charges can be more because of the standing/low-speed fee. Generally speaking, the taxi driver should ask a passenger if he or she wants to go on the expressway. All approximate fares listed below do not include the 10 yuan expressway toll.

20 kilometers: Sanyuan Bridge (near Hilton Hotel, China Travel Service Tower), 49 yuan for luxury sedan taxi; 43 yuan for xiali.

23 kilometers: Asian Games Village (Continental Hotel, Catic Plaza, National Olympic Center), 58 yuan for luxury sedan taxi, 47.2 yuan for xiali.

27 kilometers: Wangfujing, Dongdan (Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Palace Hotel, Taiwan Hotel, Tianlun Dynasty Hotel, Peace Hotel, Novotel Beijing, and so on), 70 yuan for luxury sedan taxi, 56.8 yuan for xiali.

32 kilometers: Shangri-la Hotel (on West Third Ring Road), Beijing University (Haidian District), 85 yuan for luxury sedan taxi, 68.8 yuan for xiali.

Remember

1. Taxis with a red sign (at night it's a red light) means the taxi is empty and ready for hire.

2. Ask for a receipt, which should include the taxi's number, driver's surname and taxi company's name. Every taxi should have a supervision card of the taxi number, driver's name and company's telephone number. It should be in front of the back seat. The receipt and the card can help you find the taxi if you lose something or if you need to complain.

3. In front of the taxi, there is also a big card writing the taxi driver's name, driver's service number, the driver's photograph, the company's name and the complaint number, 6835-1150.

Other means beside taxi

1. Some hotels in Beijing provides shuttle bus service for their own guests. Confirm with the front desk.

2. There is also a 16 yuan (US$1.92) airport shuttle bus. There are two routes every 20 or 30 mintues from the airport between 8am and 9:30pm and from downtown from 6:30am to 6:30pm. Route A runs between the airport and Beijing Railway Station (Beijing Huoche Zhan). Route B runs between the airport and Gongzhufen (Beijing Rural-Urban Trading Center, Beijing Cheng Xiang Mao Yi Zhong Xin).

There is also a shuttle bus every 30 minutes from 5:30am to 7pm between the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Building at Xidan and the airport, and a bus every hour from both the China Art Gallery and Zhongguancun to the airport. The price is 6 yuan ($0.72) per person. The travel time to the airport on the new Airport Expressway is about 35 minutes.

3. Public transport, which is the cheapest way, but you need plenty of time. Bus 359 runs from Dongzhimen to the airport every 10 minutes and makes 11 stops along the way. The ticket costs 1.7 yuan.

[Back to Contents]