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December 24, 2014

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Home » Metro » Public Services

City taxi fares to go up next year

TAXI fares are going up in Shanghai next year, and a hearing on January 9 will decide which of two plans put forward by the Shanghai Transport Commission will be adopted.

The first sees the flag-down fare raised to 15 yuan (US$2.41) from 14 yuan (including the 1 yuan fuel surcharge), and each kilometer after the first 3 kilometers will add 2.5 yuan, 0.1 yuan more than at present.

The second plan sees the 14 yuan flag-down fare remain, but 2.7 yuan per kilometer after the first 3 kilometers.

The flag-down fare for Touran cars will be 2 yuan extra under both plans. It’s the same at present. The rise is said to reflect higher maintenance costs for Touran taxis, which were adopted during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and later merged into the city’s taxi fleet.

Both plans are aimed at raising the income of the city’s 100,000 cabbies, but the extra money will also cover the rising cost of social welfare and vehicle insurance, said Ma Fei, deputy director of Shanghai Transport Commission’s management office.

The commission estimates that cabbies’ incomes should rise by an average of 1.41 yuan for each journey in the first plan, and by 1.6 yuan in the second.

“How the rise will affect our incomes will also depend on the follow-up policy made by the company,” Qiangsheng taxi driver Yang Hongmei said.

Under both plans, every 4 minutes of waiting time or low-speed driving (below 12kph) due to congestion will cost passengers the equivalent of a 1-kilometer charge. Currently, passengers pay 2.4 yuan for every 5 minutes of waiting or low-speed driving.

The authority said cabbies had been complaining about congestion in the city affecting their income. As a result, some cabbies were refusing to take passengers into congested areas at rush hour.

The extra charge for long distances is also raised in both plans. At present, passengers are charged 3.6 yuan for every kilometer after the first 10, or 50 percent more.

The policy was to compensate cabbies who took passengers to a remote area and often had to return to the city center with an empty vehicle.

However, the extra charge will be activated after the first 15 kilometers under the new plans, with the authority heeding suggestions that 10 kilometers should no longer be regarded as a long ride given the city’s expansion.

Night fares will continue to be 30 percent more than those during the day whichever plan is decided upon. There will be no change to fares on the city’s 50 “London” cabs.

A total of 24 representatives of passengers, drivers and transport experts will decide which plan to adopt at the January 9 hearing.

Regular passenger Xue Na told Shanghai Daily: “I can accept a rise in fares, but I hope the taxi companies will strengthen their management as passengers expect a quality service for a higher price.

“Shanghai taxis used to be a pride for us citizens thanks to its excellent service. However, we start to see improper manners from cabbies like declining a ride or giving priority to taxi booking app users instead of street hailers,” Xue said.

Zhou Wenhua, a manager at Qiangsheng, the city’s largest taxi company, said depreciation, increased social security for drivers and all kinds of taxes all added to the financial burden faced by taxi companies.

The last time that Shanghai raised its taxi fares was in August 2011.




 

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