There must the thousands of them, even tens of thousands. You
can usually spot a taxi cab wherever or whenever you look. In Guangzhou
the usual colour is green.
We rarely take a taxi, except on Sundays when we take one to the
Ramada Pearl Hotel for church. Other times we use the bus or metro
systems. There is one card that is used as payment for both
on systems. The card is refilled at Seven Eleven stores.
All taxis are metered and the cost is minimal. The flat rate is 10 yuan, which
is about $1.75. Most fares range from 20 yuan to 30. Our visitors wondered why
we don't use them more often.
Don has become good at telling where we need to go, when it is our campus, in Chinese.
He has even been complimented on his Chinese. Taxi drivers almost never look at
him with a blank stare, anymore.
We have been scammed only twice.
One time, on a Friday evening, a driver took us the long way home, not realizing that we
actually knew how to get home. Don questioned him, and he is able to hold his own
in a Cantonese "discussion." After all, it was costing us 45 yuan.
The Big Scam happened during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year).
We had just returned from our visit to Hong Kong with Ian, Debby, Matt and Lily. The line up at
the taxi stand, in front of the East Guangzhou Railroad Station, was lengthy, to say the least. The
buses at the nearby bus terminal had stopped for the night. We wanted to take a taxi and looked around
for an alternative to the taxi stand line up. We spotted two lone taxi cabs off on a street to the left.
They asked for a set rate, which should have been our first red flag. But it was late.
With six of us, we took two cabs. I was with Ian and Debby, sitting in the front seat.
On the way home it soon became obvious that we were lost. Nothing looked familiar, and then the
driver took out his cell phone and we were certain what the conversation was about. (Matt was in the second cab, and
he could see that the dark, narrow roads were not the usual for a taxi). Luckily, I spotted what I thought was the
back entrance to our campus and directed our cab to take a right turn. It was the correct road.
When we got out and paid, the driver made a scene of saying, "This money no good, no good. " We handed him another
100 yuan bill and the same thing was said. Ian came to the rescue and said, "The money is good, we've been using
it all day." He grabbed the bags, slammed the door and we went in.
As it happened, the same scenario was played out when Don's cab arrived. "No good, no good." Also, the doors were locked
so no one could leave the cab until the payment was satisfactory. As it turned out, in the confusion, some counterfeit bills
were exchanged. Don got the counterfeits and the taxi driver kept the good bills. We weren't aware of the switch until the
next day when Don tried to use his 100 yuan bill. The store clerks check every 100 bill, and sure enough, it was not a good one.
Then everything fell into place.
This Big Scam was our own fault.
Almost all taxi rides are a good experience, except for the darting in and out, and the seeming lack of traffic rules.
We always stand in the official taxi stand line now.
Once we stood for an hour, but it is worth it.
One photo is of a busy street, and the taxi front can be seen…..green.
The second is of Don waiting at a bus stop. (He is often carrying my purse)
The third picture is a random look at some lovely water plants. (From the Botanical Garden)
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