Taxis barred from taking the stand

By Yin Yeping Source:Global Times Published: 2013-2-19 23:48:02

Cars block access to a designated taxi stand at Chongwenmen in Dongcheng district Tuesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Cars block access to a designated taxi stand at Chongwenmen in Dongcheng district Tuesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT



A move to provide more taxi stands in Beijing will probably not help residents find a cab more easily, after cabbies said most of the designated taxi areas are often blocked by car drivers.

The 50 new taxi stands, which are marked out by blue painted lines on the street, are in 16 locations, including Wangfujing, Xisi and Xidan where it is difficult for residents to call a taxi or for taxi drivers to park their cars, according to a press release from Beijing Traffic Management Bureau Monday.

There are already 2,158 designated taxi stands, and the number is expected to increase to 3,000 by the end of this year, the bureau said.

There are two different types of taxi stands. Those marked with a dotted line are only for picking up and dropping off passengers, while taxis can wait for fares in those which are marked with an unbroken blue line. 

But taxi drivers said the new stands probably will not help them much.

Wang Yan, a taxi driver from Beijing Shouqi Taxi Company, said that she welcomes the increase in the amount of taxi stands since they are needed to pick up and drop off passengers, to wait for business, or to take a short rest for a bite to eat or to use street-side toilets.

"As far as I can see, 3,000 taxi stands will be far from enough to meet the parking demand of the [approximately] 60,000 taxis in Beijing," she said.

"Even the current stands are mostly not available since they are often blocked by private vehicles," she said.

Wang said that it is always difficult to find a spot to stop when she needs to use the restroom. 

"If we just park somewhere beside the street instead of at a stand, then we will be fined 200 yuan ($32) and the taxi company will also suspend us from driving for a few days," she said, noting the consequences of illegal parking are worse for cab drivers than they are for ordinary drivers.

Another taxi driver, Wang Hejie from Beijing Xinyue Taxi Company, also questioned the effectiveness of the new measures. 

"These new taxi stands are in the busy areas where there are many passengers waiting for taxis, so we don't have to wait in the designated areas for business," he said.

Wang also noted that they normally just park randomly to pick up or drop off passengers for their convenience instead of finding a parking space first.

Other drivers in the city are also complaining that the new stands take away their parking spaces, despite the fact that they regularly park in them anyway. 

When the Global Times went to Donganmen Dajie in Dongcheng district, the newly painted blue taxi stand in front of a restaurant was fully occupied by private vehicles. One driver, surnamed Han, said he did not realize the parking space is for taxis only.

"The lines have been drawn for days and I didn't see any taxi parked here anyhow," he said. Han noted that with the terrible traffic conditions in the city, it is difficult enough to find a parking spot. 

"If we worry about the parking space for taxi drivers, then it's better for everyone to just give up driving, and only take taxis," he remarked.

Car drivers who illegally occupy a designated taxi stand should also be fined 200 yuan, according to Beijing traffic laws.

Zhu Tao, a transportation expert from the Beijing University of Technology, said that stronger management measures should be taken to ensure the new taxi stands are always available to taxi drivers only, for example by sending out more traffic wardens.

"Otherwise, the new stands would be useless if they are still being occupied by other cars as it is now," he said, adding he does not think the initiative will mean it becomes easier for residents to find a cab.

"In the rush hours, for instance, most taxis are not driving on the roads anyway, let alone waiting for customers in a stand," he said.



Posted in: Society, Metro Beijing

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