Shanghai taxis

October 20, 2010

Almost all taxis in Shanghai are Volkswagen Santanas. When I first got to Shanghai, I had never heard of this car. Perhaps the Germans figured it wouldn’t be successful in America because there is already a mediocre Latino guitarist by the same name living there. Cars named after guitarists nor guitarists named after cars wouldn’t bode well in the American market.

Taxis here have a color system of quality. The car above is in the second best tier. I have only heard rumors about the color system, but from my daily experience in cabs, it seems accurate. The best taxis are the best because it is harder to get driver jobs for their companies. They are more selective.

At the top is teal. They are the most reliable, clean, and the driver usually knows where he is going. In the second tier is green (pictured above) and yellow. You usually don’t have to worry when you get in these cabs. The third tier is bright blue, white, and bright red. The bottom tier is dark red and dark blue; dark red being the worst. These cabs are usually the dirtiest and the oldest. Dark red and dark blue cabs are owned by the drivers themselves, so there are no real standards of quality they have to live up to. If you get overcharged via faulty meters or driving in circles, it is usually in a dark blue or dark red cab.

When taking a cab in Shanghai, it is a good idea to look at the driver’s identification number on the dashboard. These numbers are given out in order. Currently, Shanghai is giving out numbers starting with 31 or 32. Therefore, the older the driver, the lower the first two digits are. If you have a driver starting with 04, he has probably been driving for 20 years. He knows where every street in Shanghai is. If you have a driver starting with 30 or later, it’s possible you have to tell him how to get to your desired destination.

On the identification number card, there are also stars. Stars denote a better driver. 5 stars is the most a driver can have, I believe, but I’ve never seen more than 3. Drivers have to pay to take a test to get stars, so most drivers do not have any. The ones that do, are the best drivers in the city. They can usually speak very minimal English. And after you tell them where you want to go, they will tell you which way they will take to get you there and then ask if that is alright.