Taxi Talk: City Confirms Fare Will Increase

You're going to have to keep some extra change in your pocket for those short taxi rides, because the Beijing Transportation Committee has announced that they will, in fact, raise the taxi fare. Late last month, we reported the rumors that the starting fare might go up to RMB 15, but officials have yet to confirm the new rates.

Beijing transportation officials met April 9 to discuss how to deal with the problem of getting a taxi in Beijing and have announced they will hold a public hearing on the issue of increasing the taxi fare. No dates for the hearing or the price hike have been decided, but we'll keep you updated.

The raise in taxi fare might make drivers more willing to give rides, as right now, operating costs are said to be high, especially during rush hour. Liu Xiaoming, executive officer of the Beijing Transportation Committee told People.cn that they also are working on making it easier for people to reserve taxis by phone.

Currently, some drivers don't even answer a call if there's too much traffic. Liu said he hopes that, in the future, the city can ensure 99 percent of reservations made four hours in advance will be fulfilled in a timely manner. He said they're also striving for a 70 to 80 percent success rate for callers needing taxis immediately.

Who knows when all this talk will turn into something solid, so in the meantime, it might be worth testing out Didi Dache, a new, free iPhone app that's supposed to help you flag down the nearest taxi more easily (not without a few extra kuai in tips, of course). Check back later for more on whether we think it actually works.

The committee confirmed in the April 9 meeting that more eco-friendly taxis would be added to the streets, but the total number of Beijing taxis wouldn't change. We talk about these plans more here.

What do you think about raising the taxi fare? Leave your comments below.

Photo: Boris van Hoytema on Flickr