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Have you had the same situation in China?
Dec 2, 2010 01:26
  • JIMMYB
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On last Saturday afternoon, I tried to take a taxi to pick up my friend at the railway station. But I failed after 3 taxis passed by. The driver refused to let me in after learning I was going to the railway station. Why? It was very crowded from 17:00-19:00. When the forth taxi came by, I didn’t tell him where I was going to. Instead, I just got in the car and asked him to drive me to the railway station. The driver was reluctant and found some excuses to let me out. I told him “If you refuse to carry me to the railway station, I will make a complaint to your company.” He said nothing and carried me to the railway station.

Have you been refused by the taxi driver in China? Sometimes, the driver even picked up other passengers when you were already in. What did you do when you were in such situation?
Last edited by JIMMYB: Dec 2, 2010 01:26
Dec 4, 2010 09:05
#1  
  • FAITHGITA
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Yes, this is also happened to us.
We travel to China in September 2010 with Travel China Guide and majority of the stay in the country was organized. One afternoon we make decision for the driver to drop us at the famous Silk Market in Beijing. We was well prepared with a note from the tour guide in Chinese for directions to our hotel also with the business card from the hotel.
After shopping we went down the street near the store to take a taxi. Many taxis stop but no one would like to take us to Holiday Inn Central Plaza.
We didn't understand why...
After waiting for 30-40 minutes and many taxis went by we start walking. At one point we stop near some government official building many taxis was dropping their clients there. At this place we was also unsuccessful to get a taxi, so we start walking again. Many vacant taxis stop but no one was willing to take us. This was a great disappointment.
We was about 20-30 minutes drive from the hotel. We don't know how to get to the hotel except with taxi. We don't speak any Chinese for public transportation and we was thinking that was the problem.
We kept walking and stopping taxis all of the vacant once stop but after seen the hotel name took off.
Finally we was near very nice hotel and I went inside and told the reception desk manager that we are lost and need a taxi to take us to Holiday Inn Central Plaza. I please for help.
Manager was the only one speaking english. He call bellboy to get us a taxi.
Very interesting the first taxi that came took us.
The driver was very pleasant he didn't speak any english but we didn't care.
Took us 3 hours 25 minutes to beg for taxis and 30 minutes ride. We was late for dinner. Our dinner was pre-paid and schedule from the tour company at the hotel.
We was back at the hotel at 9:40 PM.
How I just think about the experience but then I was upset.

Dec 4, 2010 21:02
#2  
  • KEVIN0518
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FAITHGITA, I am sorry to hear your experience. I shared the taxi with others once. It rained heavily that day. I took a taxi to get back home and there was a guy who didn't carry an umbrella and waited for catching a taxi. The driver stopped and asked me if I could share the taxi with that guy. I agreed.

You know it is hard to catch a taxi when it rains. I was afraid that he might have to wait for a long time to catch a taxi. So I shared the taxi with him. I got off earlier than him and the driver just charged me 10 yuan (actually I should have paid 12.5 yuan). He was a good driver.
Dec 27, 2010 12:31
#3  
This is something you have to learn !
On different days of the week Taxi's
with a certain # do not travel to the
train station...
Dec 28, 2010 02:54
#4  
  • HERBEAT
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Quote:

Originally Posted by FAITHGITA View Post

Yes, this is also happened to us.
We travel to China in September 2010 with Travel China Guide and majority of the stay in the country was organized. One afternoon we make decision for the driver to drop us at the famous Silk Market in Beijing. We was well prepared with a note from the tour guide in Chinese for directions to our hotel also wit...


Hi, I'm not quite sure what your situation was but I know around Silk market, there's a special / official place to take taxis. If the taxi takes passengers in other places around that building, then they might would be punished or suffer some bad things. I didn't know that before and just stood on the street trying to get a taxi and I also got angry with the taxis just passing by. But luckily, I finally learnt.

Here in Beijing, Chang'an street is a really special street and it's not easy to take taxis along the main road at all (most of the places taxis are not even allowed to stop) So everytime I go there, I know that I wouldn't be able to take taxis easily. And I always tell my friends whoever come to Beijing for the first time.

I think the tour guide should have told you this in advance. But anyway, I'm sorry to hear your bad experience and wish you good luck next time you come here:-) At the end of the day, Beijing isn't that bad, even though lots of people have bad experience with taxi drivers...
Dec 28, 2010 02:58
#5  
  • HERBEAT
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Quote:

Originally Posted by KEVIN0518 View Post

FAITHGITA, I am sorry to hear your experience. I shared the taxi with others once. It rained heavily that day. I took a taxi to get back home and there was a guy who didn't carry an umbrella and waited for catching a taxi. The driver stopped and asked me if I could share the taxi with that guy. I agreed.

You know it is hard to catch a ta...


Well, both the taxi driver and you have done something good. As we always say, act in the way whatever you expect people treat you and you'll gain the same. Sometimes when you help people, you'll get help too. Or simply if you treat people nice, then you'll be treated good too... :-)
Dec 28, 2010 03:02
#6  
  • HERBEAT
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JimmyB, I think your situation is a bit special. I think you are in Xi'an, right? The traffice around the train station is a bit like chaos and it's not easy to queue that taxi queue for the drivers at all. So I think it's kind of reasonable that the taxi refused to take you. Well, I know it's not right for sure but I think I could understand that. Taxis in Xi'an aren't the best ones in China anyway...
Jan 11, 2011 02:31
#7  
GUEST110 I learned that many taxi driver refuse to drive you to special places because they know that the traffic is more then horrible there, so if you wanna go to places like this you should go very late (10pm-00am) or have luck..
This happend to me quite often. My company is in the middle of the city and many just dont like it to drive me there. So i everytime look for a map (thank you google) and subway station (busstation), with a bit research also non chinese speaker should be able to take the bus (as long they have a printer to print the adress)
Oh and to my story (i keep it short) i stood this winter in the evening (around 8pm) after work in front of the building because i knew i would meet friends around 9:30pm. and i waited... and waited... some taxi stopped but didnt want to take me there then.. around 9:30 i got one and then i had been around 40 min. too late. (But its ok in china ^^)
Jan 11, 2011 21:42
#8  
  • JIMMYB
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GUEST110,

Next time you take a taxi, do not tell the driver where you are going to unless you get in and sit down. If the driver refuses to take you there, you can complain him to the taxi company.
Jan 16, 2011 02:22
#9  
Jimmyb, the taxi driver is smart. He may find some excuses to let you out of the car, for example, "My car is out of oil/gas".
Jan 16, 2011 21:57
#10  
  • HERBEAT
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Haha, sometimes it's the drivers' exchange time. You know more than 1 person owns the taxi so that they could make it run 24 hours a day. Thus sometimes they would refuse to take any passengers since it's the time to change...
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