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Hongqiao Airport taxi rip-offs taint image of 'better city'
By Tony Benson |
May 10, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
I have lived and worked in Shanghai for nine out of the last 10 years and China is a great place to be. I wish the Expo great success.
I tell you a short story.
I arrived back in Hongqiao Airport on Monday night (May 3) from a visit to a Canton (Guangzhou) fair.
Coming out of the arrivals/baggage collection area, I was summoned by a uniformed woman working at an official transport counter, who offered me a taxi.
As I know very well how long the taxi queue would be outside, and just to see what was going to happen, I told her where I wanted to go - Huaihai Lu/Donghu Lu, which usually costs me at that time of night 50-60 yuan (US$7.30-8.80).
She wanted to charge 200 yuan, so needless to say, I told her what I thought and walked away to the taxi rank outside as usual amid much laughter from other passengers and colleagues of the tout.
I would like to suggest that, rather than spending huge amounts of money knocking down historical buildings and replacing them with high-rise apartments/offices, Shanghai should actively crack down on touts and rip-off merchants.
Certain human beings will always be looking for the main chance no matter where they are in the world.
But I suggest that, in this Expo year, Shanghai ought to be leading the way by endeavoring to make a "better city, better life" for the sake of all of us by preventing petty corruption such as the above.
I tell you a short story.
I arrived back in Hongqiao Airport on Monday night (May 3) from a visit to a Canton (Guangzhou) fair.
Coming out of the arrivals/baggage collection area, I was summoned by a uniformed woman working at an official transport counter, who offered me a taxi.
As I know very well how long the taxi queue would be outside, and just to see what was going to happen, I told her where I wanted to go - Huaihai Lu/Donghu Lu, which usually costs me at that time of night 50-60 yuan (US$7.30-8.80).
She wanted to charge 200 yuan, so needless to say, I told her what I thought and walked away to the taxi rank outside as usual amid much laughter from other passengers and colleagues of the tout.
I would like to suggest that, rather than spending huge amounts of money knocking down historical buildings and replacing them with high-rise apartments/offices, Shanghai should actively crack down on touts and rip-off merchants.
Certain human beings will always be looking for the main chance no matter where they are in the world.
But I suggest that, in this Expo year, Shanghai ought to be leading the way by endeavoring to make a "better city, better life" for the sake of all of us by preventing petty corruption such as the above.
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