© d. Fuka
Living, as I do, just outside of Shanghai tends to see me visit The City on “official business” quite frequently. Not only is it the ultra-modern, socio-cultural mecca of Mainland China – it’s also the closest place to Suzhou a Canadian guy can get consular stuff done.
Despite having been to “The Paris of the East” numerous times, there is one thing that continues to baffle me, and perhaps some of you Shanghai laowai can enlighten me: Why is it Shanghai is the only city I’ve been to in China where the taxi drivers assume 16 RMB = 20 RMB?
It doesn’t happen all the time, but a good 60-70% of the time that I’ve handed a taxi driver a bill that clearly deserved more than a couple kuai change, they’ve made absolutely no effort to give it.
They don’t even feign like they’re going to give me my change with that little pause for me to say “nono, you keep it…” – rather the driver just stares blankly at me through his scratched Plexiglas bubble wondering why I am still indenting his cloth-covered back seat.
Is this just a big city thing? Does this happen in Beijing as well? Guangzhou? Shanghai is the only 1st tier city I’ve spent any amount of time in, but I’ve never seen this in any of the 2nd or 3rd tier cities I’ve visited.
So Shanghai, what’s the deal with the Shanghai taxi round-up?
There are some taxis in Shenzhen that would do this. Of course, those would be the same bastards that try to rip off every passenger in sight (not just laowai). It’s one of many reasons I avoid taking taxis at all costs–I’d rather suffer on a bus for two kuai.
I stopped using the bus after my foot got caught in the door for the second time. The bus was so full I had to run around to the driver’s window and pay him my 1 yuan and then run back around to the back door where I pushed some old lady into another old lady so I could get on the bus… or mostly on the bus.
Fortunately I was wearing relatively rugged boots both times.
I hate the bus.
Taxis are great. Cheaper than the bus back home and they take you door to door – round-up or not.
Definitely trying to rip you off. Always ask for the fapiao and the change at the same time. I always remind them and then they always feel forced to give it to me.
RMB4 happens to be the fee for booking a taxi. I’ve had guys to try to get the fee off me without putting that on the receipt, but never try to keep the change.
J.
Weird… a year & a half and it didn’t happen once. Guess was just lucky.
But definitely been taken the long way a couple of times.
Although taxi drivers in Shanghai always seemed nicer than Shenzhen…
Not the case in Beijing or Shenzhen (or Shanghai) in my experience – of course, seedy exceptions do exist.
Ah, it could be that I was going from the train station, and so maybe there’s an extra charge for grabbing a cab from the underground taxi queue?
That’s never happened to me, but then, I rarely take the taxi. My guess is that they know that foreigners often tip. So, if they do nothing, and the foreigner exits without complaining, they’re up 4 kuai. On the other hand, if the foreigner wants his change, he’s no worse off than otherwise.
BTW, it’s “feign”.
@Chris: you are so right – it’s been changed.
This is the kind of nonsense that annoys me greatly. There shouldn’t be any separate fees that don’t show up on the fare meter, unless they’re taking a toll road. If they take a toll road, a separate receipt will be included with your fare receipt. I’m afraid the most likely explanation is that you’re most blatantly lao-wai and they presume lao-wai’s are accustomed to tipping so they’ll take the gamble that you don’t know any better.
Try looking more Chinese next time.
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