Fresh taxi drivers get lost, ask directions, need maps and GPS

By Yao Minji and Pan Zheng  |   2009-7-1  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

JESSICA Xu, although a native Shanghainese, commonly takes taxis and relies on cabbies to know their way around and get her where she's going.

Like everyone, she wants the shortest, cheapest, fastest way, but these days the 26-year-old graduate student says she often has to check directions beforehand and then direct the cabbie.

"I've been relying on cabs for years and I even nap in cabs, so this is annoying, especially when I'm in a rush," says Xu, who admits she's not very good with directions. "I've been running into new drivers who are not familiar with the roads, but recently there are too many of them and their lack of knowledge is ridiculous."

She is not alone.

So many new drivers these days get lost, ask passengers and others for directions along the way, ask their dispatcher for help, call their driver friends on cell phones, constantly refer to maps and even use GPS (Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging Global Position System).

Shanghai has around 40,000 taxis and 100,000 drivers for four major companies and many smaller ones, the city reports. No figures are available about how many drivers have been hired in the past year.

But most agree there's a problem with new drivers who are clueless. After they get a basic driver's license, they can be recruited, then they are trained for a few days, given a map and some mentoring and sent on their way. They work in a constantly changing city that sometimes seems like one big construction site.

It's been a problem for the past few years as the city has expanded.

And as World Expo 2010 approaches, taxi companies are gearing up to handle the crowds of sightseers. Hacks who can't hack it won't help the city's image.

Many new drivers are men in their late 30s to 50s who come from the suburbs, like Chongming Island (County) and found themselves out of work in the financial crisis. Some worked as drivers but driving around Shanghai is a lot more complicated than driving in the outskirts.

"We have to admit those drivers we've employed this year are not as capable as older ones, even much worse," says Gao Liming from the public relations department of Haibo Taxi Co, one of the biggest.

In the first half of 2009, Haibo has employed 860 new taxi drivers, 31 percent fewer than in 2008, when 1,250 were hired in the same period. Officials hope the smaller intake will improve the quality.

They have a long way to go.

Last Wednesday morning, Xu called a cab to take her boyfriend from home to his office. Five minutes later, the driver called back and asked her whether he should cross the Middle Ring Road to get to her home.

"I was so shocked that I didn't even know how to answer him. It's such a ridiculous question," says Xu. "How did he even get to the Middle Ring Road? I'm right next to the Inner Ring Road."

Her boyfriend gave directions to the driver, but 10 minutes later he called back, asking them to book another cab, saying, "I'm completely lost on the elevated road."

Xu found out the driver in his 40s is from Chongming County and has only been driving for two months.

Many passengers are used to giving drivers a destination, like a plaza, a hotel, or a landmark, rather than giving an exact address. Many people don't know street numbers.

People's Square, Huahai Road, Julu Road - many new drivers, it seems, draw a blank and must consult a map.

Passengers have been complaining for the last couple of years.

"Last year and the year before, the problem was mostly with fresh drivers from suburbs who don't know the city roads at all," says veteran cabbie surnamed Huang, who declined to give his full name. He has been driving for more than 20 years.

"Back then they were mostly young kids who could learn quite fast, but this year most of my new colleagues are much older," he says. Huang adds that many are sent out on the road before they can really learn the complicated road system.