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I reckon there is a 50/50 chance of landing in a really crap, even dangerous and badly maintained taxi, driven by a complete lunatic…
Funny but true. When a clean/new taxi shows up (usually a late model VW Passat) it feels like a treat, otherwise it’s a crap shoot. +smoking. I’ve used Uber a couple of times, but can’t remember if they operate a no-smoking policy (drivers included).
I don’t see it catching on for a long long while, if ever, and rumours of a ban aside. The WeChat app immediately trounces Uber unless you absolutely have to not be seen in a taxi, and I doubt there are enough folks out there who give enough of a damn for that to be a thing. Otherwise drivers are still affordable enough that they’re a better option. Coincidentally I was out for a meal last night and the person driving ended up drinking enough not to be able to drive home. We asked the restaurant to call a driver, and 10 minutes later we were on our way home in the car we’d driven in with. If that’s possible, Uber can’t compete in a Chinese market. Not to mention that overall their promotion here has been dire. And I still haven’t been able to successfully link my AliPay account, so someone’s asleep on that job too.
and 10 minutes later we were on our way home in the car we’d driven in with.
Huh? What service is that? That sounds extremely useful..
I know such a service exists in American college towns, where tons of people drive and plan on drinking but don’t want DUIs. Wasn’t aware it existed in the real world
After using Uber everyday in SF recently, I’ve been trying out Uber again in Chengdu. And I have to say, it’s been fantastic. Here’s why this is so great:
- It costs significantly less than a taxi. On some rides, I’m saving 10+ rmb over what I’d pay in a taxi.
- Everyone has a clean, nice car (this morning I was in a Lancer EVO)
- The drivers are super friendly. I’ve had some very pleasant rides and conversations over the last few days with drivers.
If you haven’t tried Uber in Chengdu, give it a shot. I have a promo code which will give you a first ride for free: uberjustcharlie
For price comparison, on a Saturday night roughly around the same time an Uber, a licensed taxi and a private car were all taken from Tongzilin area (Mike’s/The Lazy Pug) to Wenjiang.
Uber: 64 RMB
Taxi: 120 RMB
Private Driver: 100 RMB
Used Uber 3 times in the past week and every time the car has arrived quickly, service has been great and it has always been cheaper than hailing a taxi or hiring a private car.
Huh? What service is that? That sounds extremely useful..
There’s another service where the driver rocks up on a folding bike. He drives you where you need to go. Once he’s deposited the passenger and car he just zips off.
I’ve seen a whole lot of the drivers lately. They have these little 12″ wheel folding bikes. The front’s outfitted with an electric motor. You’ll spot them in navy blue vests with twin reflective strips.
There’s another service where the driver rocks up on a folding bike.
I’ve used this service too. The fare was a flat 50 RMB for a 5-6km ride.
God bless development, progress, and all things that make sense.
I have a couple of friends that use it whenever they take the car !
Every morning when they go to work, every-time they go to my place, ect…
To them it’s a great money saver, DidiDaChe works okay for me but it’s sometimes difficult to find a taxi especially if the distance you’re travelling to is short.
I’ve also took the black taxi in front of my work place a couple of times, they’re pretty friendly and they even wait for me if I just need to go to the bank / trust me to pay them later on when they have to pick me up ect… ( they know where I work after all :p ).
That being said I must admit it’s a little unfair for legit taxi.
Still taking Uber almost every day recently, loving it. I always use People’s Uber, which is cheaper than Uber Black, but the cars are still really nice. Yesterday I was in a new Passat which had its own wifi network. Met a lot of really cool drivers as well, in general the atmosphere is much friendlier than a taxi.
That being said I must admit it’s a little unfair for legit taxi.
Taxis just have to step their game up and evolve, or be eliminated by a better product.
Taxis just have to step their game up and evolve, or be eliminated by a better product.
Well, I think it’s absolutely unfair to taxis who pay themselves for the rights to drive a taxi legally. What needs to change is the gov’t controlled licensing schemes for taxis. It’s not the drivers who make up rules or fees themselves..they’re just relatively low wage people trying to make some cash and doing it under the specified rules, now getting edged out because services have sprung up which offer arguably better services for less money and they can’t compete, get f’d for following the rules etc. The rules are what needs to change – and who eats the cost of the licensing if you don’t need to be licensed to drive taxi style service? The poor dudes who paid out into it perhaps even recently?
I generally agree with Charlie’s last post, but I also have a little sympathy with the constraints of taxi drivers who do have rules to follow…. I’d have more sympathy if they bothered to follow the rules of the road too!!! However rules or not, what would it cost to keep the taxis clean? How about being polite to customers? Many are of course but too many experiences with grumpy, non-communicative taxi drivers here, and who set off and change their mind about going where you want because it may inconvenience them, or they might run out of gas, or they may not get a “return” fare…… This is where Uber is head and shoulders ahead. Clean taxis, polite drivers, safe driving in cars which are running properly…. so far anyway. Makes the customer experience so much better, and then the customer comes back.
All my recent Uber trips have been exemplary and all cheaper than normal taxi so I now tend towards using them first.
It would not be hard for the normal taxis to reach this standard, although I do admit proper vehicle servicing would add overhead,or detract from profit, but WOULD help pollution too.
I do genuinely hope the taxis raise their game.
@Ben
RE: AlipayWhen I tried to set up Alipay, it refused my account registration information for adding a card because my passport did not meet their *front-end* standard format, ie. 2 alpha then 6 numeric. It refuses to accept it as a valid passport because it’s not in the Chinese format. I’m curious how you had set Alipay up? Which bank / ID formatting works, or maybe I just need to use my wife’s info?
I’m curious how you had set Alipay up? Which bank / ID formatting works, or maybe I just need to use my wife’s info?
Sorry, can’t help. I used a foreign credit card. I think even when you use alipay it is a foreign currency transaction.
Well, I think it’s absolutely unfair to taxis who pay themselves for the rights to drive a taxi legally. What needs to change is the gov’t controlled licensing schemes for taxis. It’s not the drivers who make up rules or fees themselves..they’re just relatively low wage people trying to make some cash and doing it under the specified rules, now getting edged out because services have sprung up which offer arguably better services for less money and they can’t compete, get f’d for following the rules etc. The rules are what needs to change – and who eats the cost of the licensing if you don’t need to be licensed to drive taxi style service? The poor dudes who paid out into it perhaps even recently?
I don’t feel that consumers should bear the burden for holding up an antiquated and inferior system just because there are marginalized people working within it. I know a lot of Uber drivers in Chengdu left their taxi driving gigs for this because they can make more money. And like Graham said, most taxis are in a pretty deplorable state. The last time I took a taxi, last week, the driver asked if he could stop and pick up some of his friends on the way. When I said I’d rather he not, he had an attitude like I was the rude one. I have zero sympathy for taxis losing revenue to Uber, which is simply a better model for both drivers and passengers.
By the way, I’m using Uber with a foreign credit card. I tried setting it up with my Chinese card and could not get it to work. I went through a few weeks of trying to get it to work before it finally started working, actually. We did a promotion with Uber last summer which offered a free ride to Flower Town for new users, but the feedback that I got from people suggested that almost no one could get it set up correctly.
After 2 rides I’m on the Uber bandwagon as well. What is the biggest draws to Uber in my eyes?
A quiet car. Holy shit. I must have gotten used to the clamor of walkie talkies, receipt machines, and Dididache bells, because sliding into an Uber and being confronted with silence was a profound experience. Okay, I’m fudging it a bit, it wasn’t silent: there was classical music playing.
In a city and a life that is generally very in-your-face and very loud, it’s nice to get at least a temporary respite while you’re getting from one place to another.
Ubers are the opposite of taxi cabs. They’re cheap, reliable, quick, clean, smoke free, and pleasant. The drivers seem to appreciate the business, are friendly but haven’t been too chatty, and above all, they don’t seem to think that traffic is my fault.
I love that it charges my card so if I don’t have exact change for the driver, he doesn’t yell at me to go get some ling qian at the chao shi.
Unless I get nostalgic for standing on the street corner for half an hour cursing at passing green cars without passengers in them or sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the window stuck down in the rain while the driver smokes, I don’t see much of a need for taxi cabs in Chengdu.
I don’t feel that consumers should bear the burden for holding up an antiquated and inferior system just because there are marginalized people working within it.
Fully agree, I just do feel bad for the people who will be f’d as a result for following the system. Those who don’t follow the law might be soon ultra-fucked as a result, too, you see what they’re doing to Uber drivers in S.Korea?
In the meanwhile once I get payment set up properly with Alipay I’ll give Uber a shot next time I need a car, sounds great.
Those who don’t follow the law might be soon ultra-fucked as a result, too, you see what they’re doing to Uber drivers in S.Korea?
One driver that I’ve met in Chengdu told me he was afraid of running into trouble with police. Other than that I haven’t heard anyone mention the risk of working as an Uber driver in Chengdu.
I didn’t know much about Uber drivers in South Korea, only that Uber had apparently been banned (or was being banned) there. I read this article which explains the situation though: Uber Suspends UberX Services in South Korea – but Promises to Return.
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