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Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 10:40 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

After reading an article in Shanghai Star about taxi\'s not understanding theirs clients I\'d like to share a tip. Even though I don\'t have a problem with Chinese, Taxi cab drivers will still decide to try and take me on a joyride if I give them any idea that I am clueless about Shanghai, i.e. speaking Taiwanese and English with friends instead of Putonghua. So if you can get the general sounds for the destination you are going to that is step one. After that, tell him how to get there. i.e. take the YanAn expressway, then exit at X, turn right at X, etc. The purpose is to let him know you are in control and that it a mistake is made, it is because of you so no worries about him trying to \"save\" you a buck or speed. The next strategy, though not highly recommended, is if you already know the approx. cost of a cab ride from point A to point B and you get taken on a joyride, let the cabbie indirectly sense you know he took you on a joyride and pay the correct amount letting him know you are aware you were taken on a joyride. Heh, this is preferably done when there is a bunch of you in the car. Razz

Hope this saves people some cabbies \"qifu\"-ing foeigners.

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 11:28 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Wasabichez are you even in Shanghai?

I have taken hundreds of taxi rides in shanghai in the last couple months and not once, not even once, has anyone tried to rip me off.

Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 12:44 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Yes I live in Shanghai, for a year already. It doesn\'t happen frequently, but since I saw the article I decided to mention it. Thing is cab drivers occassionally decide not to listen to your instructions and go driving their own way. Sometimes it makes me late for my appointments which is frustrating and I thus find it worth mentioning. Another thing is I\'ve had streaks of bad luck getting cab drivers that have one or no stars. A few don\'t even know Plaza 66(I say its Chinese name) and I\'ve even bumped into one who amazingly had no clue what JingMao Tower was! If you haven\'t bumped into such a situation then count yourself lucky, cuz I know plenty of people who have. I just want to give a helping hand to those who might also have such a situation.

Michael

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Joined: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 5291

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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 01:03 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Yes,, it happens rarely but it happens. I have had to just ditch the cab in a couple of instances and pick another one. In one case, the guy tried to get on the expressway 2 blocks from where I was going. Another, I thought I was being perfectly clear ( and I knew my chinese wasn\'t that bad- having given the same directions dozens of times before with no problem ) and guy just could not get it and wanted to argue with me with every word out of my mouth. I didn\'t need it.

It doesn help if you can direct the driver. Also, Da Zhong ( turquoise cabs) are more likeliy to be pretty good and the beat up red ones are more likely to be a pain in the butt.

All in all, it is very rare a driver will take you far out of your way if you given reasonable directions. Overall, Shanghai drivers are great. If you want hassles and ripoffs.. you should try Shenzhen.

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Anonymous
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 02:55 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Maybe you guys suffer from a language gap.....

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 03:31 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Well, last poster...good for you that you haven\'t come across this problem before. May your halo and perfect Putonghua remain with you for years to come.
On a less supercilious note, it does happen. Sometimes taxi drivers just don\'t know where they are going. Sometimes they misunderstand what you say. Sometimes they will try to \"take you for a ride\" as it were.
No point pretending we are sub-species because it happens to us and not to you. That\'s what makes some expats really annoying, you know.

Better to say something constructive...or nothing at all.

Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 03:36 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Thanx Anonymous #2 for the support. Very Happy

I\'m just trying to be helpful to people here on these BBSes, and to clarify any possible generalities that create biases. Gotta stay openminded to possibilities. Stay Cool

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 04:27 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Language gap shouldn\'t matter according to the People\'s Daily:
One Quarter of Shanghai Taxi Drivers Can Speak English
As many as 20,000 taxi drivers in Shanghai have so far received English training, according to the local taxi administrative department.

This means that one out of every four taxi drivers in Shanghai can speak English, sources said.

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 04:34 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

How is saying that a lanaguage gap could contribute to the problem considering you a sub-species? It seems logical to me that a language gap could contribute to the problem -- can you please explaing how the anon 1\'s post was diminutive?

If anyone is being patronizingly haughty, I would think it was you.

lijunj

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Joined: Nov 18, 2002
Posts: 339
Location: Kerry Center,Shanghai
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 06:36 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

here, some suggestions for you guys:

1.only take the following company\'s taxi if you have time
to choose taxi passing by(the following taxi companies are famous of their
honesty,offer good service.you can easily finding them,coz they have showy
colors:

a.( Da Zhong:大众) Turquoise taxi [highly recommand:****]
b.(Qiangsheng:强生) Yellow taxi [highly recommand:***+]
c.(Jinjiang:锦江) White Taxi [highly recommand:***]

2.before you told the driver where to go,you should know which street the
destination located,
and told the driver the street\'s name and told him which street nearby the
former.

i.e.: if you go to plazz66,first,you told him \"nan jing road(w)\" then,told
him the building\"nearby shan xi road\"

3.trusting the driver you choose:the drivers of DaZhong,Qiang Sheng,JingJiang company are honesty,efficiency,offer good service... Razz

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Slowbiker

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Joined: Oct 09, 2002
Posts: 285
Location: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, London,
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Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 08:54 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

For the records, I have been here less than six months. My Mandarin is very bad. So its easy to spot me as an out-of-towner.
On average I get taken for a joyride once in every five trips!
So this cab-riding thing is a big problem for ME.

LeiFeng

Raver

Joined: Oct 17, 2002
Posts: 440
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 09, 2002 - 09:38 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Here\'s my 2 cents...

I think Wasabichez\'s comments are great advice for taking taxis in general. However, here in Shanghai, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. There\'s really only one time when I had a serious issue with the driver here... lijunj\'s advice on the companies is spot on - I\'ve always had excellent service from those guys, especially Dazhong.

If you ever really do have an issue with a particular taxi, try calling up and complaining.

I\'ve only had to do it once, and that was in Beijing, but when I called the company was extremely apologetic, they offered to return the full fare, to fine the driver (although I asked them not too if possible) and to provide me with one of their very best drivers if I called them the next time I needed a taxi.

There were a couple of other times when some taxi drivers gave me some trouble - e.g. slapping on unreasonably high surcharges for trips to the airport - when I just pulled out a phone and suggested we ask their company\'s opinion on the matter in hand, the problem always disappeared and the drivers became extremely apologetic...

The vast majority taxi drivers I\'ve met here are honest and more than a few have gone beyond the call of duty in serving me... in general, kudos to the taxi drivers. I\'m sorry to hear that some of you have been having some bad experiences.

[Edited on 9/12/2002 by LeiFeng]

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Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Dec 10, 2002 - 12:56 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Ok ok. I really didn\'t expect this to become some kinda heckling bbs. :casstet: I used to see them on an old site I used to be a member of. As most of you have stated DaZhong for sure is the best as a company, but for me I guess like I said, I\'ve had some bad luck. Maybe its just the location I get on to cabs. The best is not a matter of cab company, but to find someone with 3 stars. Razz

If you are getting 2 or lower, shoot for one of the recommend cab companies, but if you get a 3 star and above, enjoy! Very Happy

In regards to getting a joyride, once it is clear you are familiar here, it doesn\'t happen as often especially when you can mention the right way to go thus making the cabbie \"aware\". In regards to clueless cabbies, well, just follow the star ranking system, or get a good cab company.

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 11, 2002 - 03:07 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

I just LOVE holding up the traffic as I check inside every cab to see if their star rating is high enough for me.

nadia

Lurker

Joined: Oct 29, 2002
Posts: 24

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 11, 2002 - 04:01 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Wasabi, this board on the whole is a peace loving one. We try to help each other out when we can and that\'s appreciated. So thanks for the helpful comments and keep it coming. Being in Shanghai your Mandarin can only improve, and with a little more time you\'ll know the place well enough to instruct cab drivers accordingly ... that should make joy rides fewer and further between, eh? Merry Christmas! Very Happy

Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 16, 2002 - 01:00 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Ok, so I got on a cab in front of my building to go to work today. DaZhong cab to be exact. And no star. What I\'m about to say isn\'t the first time for a DaZhong no-star cab. I tell him HongXu Rd. and Yan An, and he is like \"huh\"? where is that? I actually had to tell him to take the westward direction on the expressway and get off at HongXu exit. About cabbies being trained to speak english, haha, I tested that out this past week. What a joke, not a single one knew how to listen to directions in English, they only knew how to speak random conversational English. Same thing goes for cabbies in Taipei who went under \"english training\". The only cabbies I\'ve ever met who knew english were both in Taipei, and it was because one used to live in New York as a cabbie there, and the other visited relatives abroad often. So that \"english training\" is just for looks. The question is how much did they get out of the training that is helpful toward servicing the client? So what to do? Wink

So in the end, no matter what taxi company try your best to get at least a 2-star cab.

NADIA: Thanx for the support! Yes I want to keep this BBS a peace loving one to give advice. I either try to make my strings fun to chat about or helpful in advice. Razz

Don\'t really like it when then mutate into heckling strings. :casstet:

[Edited on 16/12/2002 by Wasabichez]

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 16, 2002 - 01:55 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Look. If the People\'s Daily says that 25 per cent of the taxi cab drivers in Shanghai speak english, then they do. The fact that out of the hundreds of cabs I have taken over the last few months or you recent survey did not find any drivers who spoke english is just a statistcal annomally. Fact is 25% of cab drivers in Shanghai speak english.

Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 16, 2002 - 06:25 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Anonymous person you are totally right on the possibility that it is a statistical anomaly, though in the 13 months I\'ve been here I\'ve only met one cabbie who could speak English and well, he only knew chit-chat, and not how to get around town using English. Who knows, maybe that 25% hangs out in Pudong....haha. And then since polling sorta stuff is something I\'ve had drilled into my head, I know that sometimes these \"stats\" can be flawed from different reasons. BUT one fact IS constant, and that is that there are cabbies out there who can follow English instructions. I can\'t wait to take one of those. Razz

In the end, for a less problematic ride, grab a 2-Star taxi. Stay Cool

Everyone

[Edited on 16/12/2002 by Wasabichez]

Michael

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Joined: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 5291

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Posted: Dec 16, 2002 - 07:27 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

I remember reading this in one of the rags a year or two ago. Yes.. it is mandated that Taxi drivers will be trained(?... more like exposed to) English. They had to be able to understand and use 100 common English phrases ( Hello, left right stop thank you bye bye) i have been one, may be 2 in hundreds of rides. Of course, any English teacher or any expat learning Chinese can tell you how much you retain if its mandated and your heart is not in it.

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Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 17, 2002 - 08:51 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

I can\'t believe all this crap i am hearing about taxi drivers. I think the first writer was trying to be helpful even if he is an expat, chinese, russian, canadian, european, (get the drift)!!! I have been here in Shanghai 3 times this year for many months...I will say overall in general I think most of the taxi drivers are quite honest !! BUT this crap about them speaking English is nothing but crap !!! I take the taxi everyday and I have NEVER, EVER had a single sentence utttered to me from a cabbie (that\'s taxi driver in English)...also , today when I spoke chinese to him , he would tap the plexi-glass with left hand if I wanted to make a left turn and tap the glass with his right hand if I wanted to turn right. He was surprised when I spoke Chinese to him, and then he just said \"uh, uh, \".....I am not against taxi drivers at all and have been very satisfied with them, but when some idiot quotes a newspaper.....that is just plain stupid...!!!!!

NEVER, NEVER have I had a taxi driver utter one sentence to me in English...and I really don\'t care if they do...I always get where I want.....BUT IF THEY SPEAK ENGLISH LIKE MR. ANONYMOUS SAYS FROM HIS DAILY READING OF THE LOCAL PAPER....THEN ITS THE BIGGEST KEPT SECRET IN IN ALL OF SHANGHAI....and I really don\'t care what Mr./Ms. Anonymous thinks of my opinion...ditto.........

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 17, 2002 - 10:29 PM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

My god! Could you be suggesting that the people\'s daily might publish false data!!!!!

How dare you!!!! You barbarians coming to China and then complain about taxis. Have you forgtten that China has 5,000 years of history?????

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 18, 2002 - 12:18 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Huh.. problems with taxi happened everywhere in most countries. I love them and hate them! Actually, DaZhong taxi mostly has good drivers, once I lost my phone and in 24-hour I got it back! Just make sure you take the receipt everytime you pay and it can be used as a proof or way to contact them, incase you left smtg behind....
Huh, but I hate the ones who doesn\'t know the street well, I have to change 3 taxis today just to reach nearest post-office, all of them don\'t know the way.. uh how unlucky I was! My boyfriend sometimes had to calm me down if I keep giving direction to driver, hihihi... next time I will change seat with driver :casstet:
BD

Anonymous
Guest

Posted: Dec 18, 2002 - 05:52 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Your god!! Self discriminate, huh? What else, like u r really just a red neck?

Michael

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Joined: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 5291

Status: Offline

Posted: Dec 18, 2002 - 07:44 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Why get all hot and bothered over a dumb little thing like if taxi drivers speak Englilsh or not. It is what it is. Aren\'t there more important things to get excited about? When I get into a taxi, either the driver speaks English or he doesn\'t. I don\'t expect them to. Not all foreigner wants every taxi driver to speak English. They would probably have a better job than taxi driver if they spoke good Engliish. Wo zhu zai Shanghai soyi wo yinggai xuexi Zhongwen.

This is peaceful board. I don\'t mind people being passionate about their opinions. But I would really like to see some respect. Flaming does no one any good.. especially when it s from anonymous. Just a note.. this is not like a few other sites. If a post or thread declines into hostile exchanges and name calling, it will be deleted. It is not the purpose of this board.

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Wasabichez

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Joined: Dec 05, 2002
Posts: 1225
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Jan 09, 2003 - 09:30 AM
Post subject: Taxi cab advice, hope it spares people frustration

Whoo, I must say, I\'m a happy camper. Maybe I ran into a bad streak of luck in getting cabbies, but the weirdest thing, the past month I\'ve been taking rides in a LOT of 3 star cabs. What a relief. Though it does seem like a strange phenomenon that there to me. Razz

Good though that is. I did bump into one cabbie once on the road who after we told him directions he decided to listen in on my conversation with my friend in the cab and started asking \"wait, you want me to go there instead?\" when the topic had nothing to do with the location he was going. Sad

But anyways, there musta been like a bunch of cabbie academy graduates that graduated top of there class lately. hehe. Maybe I\'m being pessimistic here, but I wouldn\'t be surprised if I have another bad streak of clueless cabbie picking me up though. Razz

Does anyone know if cabbies have some kind of training academy? Or do they just go in to a cab company, take a test and thats it?