Chengdu taxis: More expensive, not easier to hail

After months of discussion and debate, the long-dreaded taxi-rate hikes are in effect as of midnight Thursday.

Taxi companies workers spent the day yesterday furiously pasting the new rate decals onto the city's more than 4,000 cab windows before the changeover went into effect.

For all class-three vehicles—Jettas, Santantas, and Elysees—the new rates are RMB8 for the flag fare and RMB1.9 per km after 2 km. (The old rates, for comparison, mandated an RMB6 flag fare, RMB1.4/km in excess of 1 km, and an RMB1 fuel surcharge). For class-two vehicles—Volkswagen Sagitars—the flag fare increases to RMB9.

The RMB1 fuel surcharge formerly in effect is rolled into the flag fare.

Nighttime fares will now begin at 11 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. From 11 p.m., flag fare is an additional RMB1 and an additional RMB0.3 per excess kilometer.

Waiting-time fares have also been adjusted: The meter will jump RMB1 every five minutes traveled below 12 kmph; RMB0.95 every 150 seconds before 10 km and 1.42 per 150 seconds between 10 and 60 km; and, at night, RMB1.1 per 150 seconds before 10 km and RMB1.65 per 150 seconds between 10 and 60 km.

Phone and drop-in cab reservations cost an additional RMB2.

These fares apply only within the city limits, extending to the Shuangliu Airport. For journeys beyond, fares should be decided upon by the driver and passenger.

On the eve of the long-awaited Chengdu Metro Line 1 opening, reporters and netizens question how the rate hikes will affect taxi-ridership.

But, say the taxi companies and the Pricing Bureau, the net effect of the price hikes on the end user won't be very extreme. "The extent of the fare adjustment really is not big," said a spokesperson for the Chengdu Pricing Bureau, who estimates that passengers will now pay an additional RMB1 to 3 per journey, depending on the distance traveled. For an average journey of 5.62 kilometers, the passenger will pay 19 percent more than before.

Additionally, the meters in all cabs have been upgraded to comply with national standards to "ensure accurate billing"

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This article was posted by Jane and published September 10, 2010

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Comments

- spandolf
  September 10, 2010
- Will the drivers still transform automatically into werewolves after midnight?
  They return to normal after 6 am.
- invisible
  September 10, 2010
- I hope the taxi drivers actually see a small portion of the addional kuai, as they work very hard (in average that is!) for 12,16 or 24 hours in a row to have their only child attend college and are usually. It pisses me off that the local Chinese media constantly bitches them, everyday there is a scapegoat article about the drivers. And the last 3 months saw this debate with blabla daily: Oh 1 kuai price hike, yeah shut up and ask the taxi drivers how they are doing. They have to deal with long hours, crazy traffic jams, they have to cover the costs of traffic violation tickets (like driving on the bus line, and you can't turn LEFT bs, but also the tickets of the clone taxis that use their license plates), then they have to queue for hours to get gas. Not enough they have to deal with the fact that cheaper drivers are floating in, working for dumping wages, and prices for gasoline take a jump up every couple of months.
- Ivan
  September 11, 2010
- Well, formerly, there was a "50% supplement" after the 7th kilometer, meaning up to the 7th km the price per km was 1.4¥ and was 2.1¥ afterward for daytime fees, and from 1.7¥ to 2.55¥/km after 10pm.
  Your article doesn't mention if this "increase" will still be on. Anyone knows if it it still the same?
- JimmyCan
  September 12, 2010
- hell no!
- Thomas
  August 6, 2011
- Yes, but what I don't understand is if Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, etc. taxi driver's all see foreigners as being "walking ATMs" and thus beep their horns at walking foreigners hoping for an extra fare, why are Chinese taxi drivers the opposite? Chinese taxi drivers don't care less when they see a foreigner, even though it would probably make their day in terms of the extra income.
  Am i missing something here? This is just too weird...
- Jonna
  August 6, 2011
- Ah the odd time when you can get a taxi in rush hour its great to have a airconditioned cab for next to nothing money wise, they do not speak good Chinese though which is funny and often get lost. But in BJ its far worse generally CD has good drivers and they earn every dollar. I take the illegal ones in a jam but try to stay away from them.
- what?
  August 7, 2011
- @thomas: What do you mean the "extra income?" Foreign passengers pay the same as everybody else, at least in legal taxis.
- Thomas
  August 9, 2011
- Well yes you are right, I was trying to say "extra income" in terms of getting more passengers=more income, not being charged extra. Sorry for the confusion. However, I have a friend who was ripped off in a Chengdu taxi when he went there to vist, so he was really paying more than he should have been and provided extra income!