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Is it worth hiring a driver? or just catch taxis?

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camelina

Raver

Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 03:45 PM
Post subject: Is it worth hiring a driver? or just catch taxis?

Is it worth hiring a regular driver to take you places? (particularly if you need to bring/carry lots of stuff) or just take a taxi?

Has anyone had one? and how much do they cost?

Juan_Tamad

Board Royalty

Joined: Jan 29, 2007
Posts: 7093
Location: Smoky Mountain
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 03:51 PM

Taxi is better alternative.

suziqueen22

Rocker

Joined: Sep 08, 2005
Posts: 661
Location: suzhou
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 03:58 PM

it really depends on how much you spend on Taxi fee

randyman

Reacher

Joined: May 09, 2006
Posts: 289
Location: Hongqiao
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 04:14 PM

A driver is very convenient and an excellent alternative to taxis, especially if you would like to go to multiple places on a rainy day. There is a person named Lily who advertises on this site can take you for 100 rmb 8 hour day if I remember. I hired her for a day and she doubled as an interpreter at several companies I was visiting. Much to the chagrin of many people who post here I felt obligated to tip her. I now have a driver every day.

horsemandk

StreetBeater

Joined: Mar 23, 2006
Posts: 2274
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 04:22 PM

Full time drivers are way more expensive than taxi (around 10.000,- RMB) because they usually have valid insurance (other don't) so the question is more like "do you want to gamble with your life in case of an accident", 26 people get killed in car accidents every week in Shanghai!

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didarx79

Raver

Joined: Mar 23, 2005
Posts: 429
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 04:55 PM

Really? The driver we hired is only 2000rmb/month, EXCLUDING car costs (we own the car, gas/parking/maintenance are extra) and overtime (in the evenings and weekends, 10rmb/hour or 100/day). What I do is that I split the cost with another person who has different working hours, because we share the driver for going to and from work.

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kenkingdotcom

Reacher

Joined: Jan 08, 2006
Posts: 295
Location: No Longer Shanghai'd
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 05:14 PM

I think you will enjoy having a driver when you can't find a taxi in the rain Smile

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greenmark

Rocker

Joined: July 28, 2005
Posts: 612
Location: Location Location
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 06:13 PM

Stop all this polluting nonsense.

A bicycle and a rain cape. That's all you really need.

rachel_milne

Barker

Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Posts: 169
Location: Wei Hai Road
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 06:32 PM

If you have to carry a lot of stuff and if you have a family, having a driver is more convenient. We pay RMB 1700/month inclusive of the car and driver 5 days a week. For weekends we pay him overtime but we seldom ask him to work during weekends. Taking a taxi would be cheaper but more risky. I hope it answers your questions.

camelina

Raver

Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 07:47 PM

Thanks for your replies. We don't have a family but I'm just thinking if I buy something big. I don't mind taking the bus, train or taxi.. but here in Australia I'm used to driving everywhere esp. if I am buying groceries or other bulky/heavy goods.

horsemandk

StreetBeater

Joined: Mar 23, 2006
Posts: 2274
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 08:01 PM

I wonder why nobody worries about insurance in case of an accident Smile

aaah, maybe people just don't care about such simple things Wink

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twinpointe

Barker

Joined: Mar 16, 2006
Posts: 174
Location: right here right now
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 08:19 PM

We have a car & driver - company provided - and I know he is more expensive than taking taxis but the convenience is overwhelming. We both work and in different parts of the city so I am occassionally in a taxi since our driver is my husband's company driver. He also is a personal shopper of sorts, runs errands, picks up this and that for us. My husband is a regional VP and has MANY home office visitors and our driver can pick up his boss (or other VIPs) at the airport & take them to the hotel and we have no worries of any kinds. He is avaiable to us 24/7 with no added costs. But then there are times like this week when I am in Beijing - my husband is overseas and our driver is home watching the NBA on TV all day. But if it were coming out of my pocket directly - probably would be in a taxi. Oh yeah, he also speaks pretty good English so I guess that qualifies me as a spoiled expat?

guel27
Board Royalty

Joined: Oct 10, 2005
Posts: 7621
Location: iwahig

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 10:01 PM

its comfortable having a driver but its cheaper taking a cab

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Angie

LoopKicker

Joined: Feb 01, 2004
Posts: 848

Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 10:10 PM

rachel_milne wrote:

If you have to carry a lot of stuff and if you have a family, having a driver is more convenient. We pay RMB 1700/month inclusive of the car and driver 5 days a week.

...should be exclusive of the car??? People pay 1700RMB for an ayi (yes, I know, you can hire less expensively), but surely you will have to pay some money for depreciation of the car - and of course for insurance.

deppy
Reacher
Reacher

Joined: July 12, 2006
Posts: 333

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 10:56 PM

^ I have to agree with Angie. RMB1700 per month inclusive of car and driver? That's a damn good deal!

twinpointe - yes, you're one lucky spoiled expat! Razz

answerer

Raver

Joined: Apr 26, 2006
Posts: 453
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 11:03 PM

The driver is the cheap part. It's the car rental/purchase that will be expensive. With license plates that cost 40k RMB in Shanghai, owning a car is expensive. I took a look around and it looked to be driver + car rental would run RMB 8-10k/month. An english-speaking driver would cost more.

If you're just going to and from work, you're better off choosing a place close to work and taking the bus/metro/walk to work. If you visit clients in different places very often, it may be a good idea to get a driver.

How often do you really need to bring/carry lots of stuff? Either do your grocery shopping at City Super and have them deliver or go to Carrefour once a week and do some major purchasing.

rachel_milne

Barker

Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Posts: 169
Location: Wei Hai Road
Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 27, 2007 - 11:22 PM

My apology! We actually pay RMB 8800 for car and driver/month, RMB 1800 is just for the driver. That includes insurance.

mswp

LoopKicker

Joined: Mar 06, 2005
Posts: 808

Status: Offline

Posted: Mar 28, 2007 - 08:45 AM

At one point, I was traveling a pretty far distance, four times a week, and was watching my travel costs really hoping I could get to where it would justify a driver. Didn't happen. You can take an awful lot of taxis for 8-10,000rmb.

It's possible to rent a car and driver for a day for about 500rmb, and that can be great for those days when you have to do a lot of running around or lugging stuff. I've done it when I had guests and the thought of trying to deal with two taxis was too much. We were able to fit 5 in a comfortable vehicle. I assume that you should expect the driver to speak no English.

yu888
Board Deity

Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 19240
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH

Posted: Mar 29, 2007 - 11:59 AM

There are many independents professional drivers that drive for a select clientele. You can verify their insurance and such and use them on a regular or irregular basis and they will schedule appointments. Some are taxi drivers on thir days off with a second car (many drivers will work their off day this way), others are full time former taxi drivers who bought their own vehicles and have a portfolio of clients. I use on that used to be a DaZhong driver. Runs a Hyundai van now and he runs airport pickups for me and my extended family and we use him fot time we really need a driver for a period of time. Depending upon where and how far, a day rate can be as low as 500rmb. A PVG run from ZhongShan park runs a standard rate of 200rmb, only slightly more than the 160 taxi metered rate but far more comfortable in a van. I try and talk to different drivers wheniver i run across them. Sometimes they are dependable, sometimes not. Ours makes arrrangements for us if he is busy so he has been really really dependable. They are out there so, good luck.

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DragonAss

Fire-eater

Joined: Apr 25, 2005
Posts: 2564

Status: Offline

Posted: Apr 10, 2007 - 08:37 AM

Hey Lily, could you drive our Buick minivan?? I will recommend you to our bosses... since all the casual drivers that have been driving us all this time really scared the **** out of us. It's occassionally thing... that's why we dont have any reliable driver

I am not very clear for your daily charge thou?? Is it 100/day or 500/day??

DragonAss

Fire-eater

Joined: Apr 25, 2005
Posts: 2564

Status: Offline

Posted: Apr 10, 2007 - 07:48 PM

thanx for your info, I'll to my bosses.

powerbook

Reacher

Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 328

Status: Offline

Posted: Apr 10, 2007 - 08:37 PM

lilywang: what car do you drive?

robnot
LoopKicker

Joined: Aug 21, 2006
Posts: 828

Posted: Apr 11, 2007 - 02:54 PM

I paid my driver 2000 rmb per month (I bought a car and my own insurance).

He borrowed my car with my permission but then picked up some strangers without my permission at the train station for 15 rmb cab fare... the police caught him and confiscated the car. The official fine for this is 30,000 to 100,000 RMB!!! Owner of the car pays, not the driver!!

After a lot of guanxi we got it down to a 6800 rmb bribe. We got the car back after a week with dried puke on the back seat, obviously the car was being used for drunken joy rides by the police and/or their friends.

Needless to say we got rid of the driver. My new driver we pay 1800 rmb a month.

They both drive like sh*t but what can you do....

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princessatwork

Newbie

Joined: Mar 31, 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Singapore, Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Apr 12, 2007 - 11:14 PM

Robnot: That's a real horrible experience u have there!

I was wondering how about engaging a driver to Hangzhou to and fro? How much would it costs? If I rather not take a train........