Taxi took visitors for a costly ride

By Dong Zhen  |   2008-6-19  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A TAXI driver who charged two Japanese passengers 1,300 yuan (US$189) for a city ride was one of the 820 cases of taxi offense authorities recorded last month.

The Japanese, on their first trip to Shanghai, flagged down the taxi of Sanleng fleet at Pudong International Airport on May 27.

When they got out at Huanlong Road, they were given an invalid invoice and charged 1,300 yuan for a trip that should cost only 110 yuan.

The case was reported to the taxi watchdog and airport police.

The passengers, as per the taxi service regulations, received 3,600 yuan in compensation from the driver, the Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement Team said.

The driver, surnamed Zhang, was tracked down by police the same day and received a 10-day detention. The traffic authority revoked Zhang's business license and ordered that the penalty be paid to the victims.

City taxi rules say victims should get three times the fare charged as compensation in cases of overcharging.

"The cheating on May 27 was really serious and the foreigners have already received compensation," said Wu Runyuan, spokesman for the traffic law enforcement team, yesterday.

The Sanleng Taxi Company, the driver's employer, has also been downgraded in the watchdog's official credit-rating system and will be monitored closely in future.

The punishment took into account the fact that Sanleng ranked second in the list of worst-performed taxi companies in April.

Local authorities have been publishing a monthly infringement ranking for all taxi operators since February. In April, 7 percent of Sanleng's taxis had been complained about by passengers, the authority said. The other cases recorded last month included 11 major offenses.