Silver Surfer and the Taxi Virgins

This morning 150 new taxis hit the streets of Liuzhou. I saw my first at about 9:30.

About 18 months ago the start price of a taxi dropped from ¥7 to ¥3. Suddenly it was impossible to get a taxi. Everyone decided that taxis were now cheap (in fact, they are only cheaper if you take an extremely short journey.) Even the local beggars were using taxis! Even my mother-in-law (who has to have money surgically removed from her tight fist and who considers ¥1 Liuzhou buses to be manifestations of a global plot to rob her blind) has allegedly been seen using one (although I am betting someone else paid!)

No longer could I wander out of my flat and choose leisurely from the half dozen taxis waiting just for me. Now I had to fight with all the common people!

NOTE: You can tell who are the taxi virgins. Still. They stand at the side of the road waving at any taxi. Only the true taxi experts understand that only those with the FOR HIRE light at the front are for hire!

There were street fights over taxis, such was the shortage.

Now, this situation has been remedied with the arrival of the new taxis.

For reasons only known to the Bureau of Taxi Colour Stipulation and Other Random Decisions, the new taxis are all silver coloured. So now we have three differently coloured taxis to choose from.

a) The normal red ones, which are by far the majority.

b) The hideous shade of green ones, which I refuse to use on aesthetic grounds.

c) The nice shiny, brand new ones.

Apart from the colour and the newness, the silver taxis are the same :- same price, same destinations, same bad driving.

Guess where I saw the first one!

On Beizhan Road, surrounded by cops and passers-by. Yes, it had run over a motorcyclist!

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