Beijing Taxi Drivers: Speechless. To. The. MAX!!!
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A visit to Beijing with great hotels and fantastic tourist attractions had initially made us feel elated, but unfortunately, this all changed when I had to take a taxi to the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City this morning...
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We were staying at Flag Watching Hotel, close to Tian’anmen Square.
- We did our homework, planning to walk from the Donghua Gate around to enter through the Wumen (the main entrance) of the Forbidden City.
- Tip: The Donghua Gate is an eastern gate of the Forbidden City, while Wumen is its largest and most magnificent entryway. Most tourists enter the attraction via Wumen.
- It was slightly late when we went out (~8 am), so fearing long lines, ordered a taxi through “Didi,” a popular Chinese taxi app similar to Uber or Lyft.
- We did our homework, planning to walk from the Donghua Gate around to enter through the Wumen (the main entrance) of the Forbidden City.
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My pickup near the intersection of Meishi Jie and Qianmen Xihouheyan Jie. Previously, the drivers weren't overly friendly, but never before such rudeness—like from Driver Hu (“Shifu” is a respectful term for workers in technical professions).
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Upon getting into his cab, he kept speaking non-stop, extremely fast:
- Complained that we shouldn’t have hailed him here as it would be inconvenient for him to navigate here. At first, I thought it was a previous passenger, but from his snicker, I suddenly realized he meant us...my parents and I were silent throughout.
- I gave Donghua Gate as my endpoint and mentioned our intention to go to the Forbidden City as per our itinerary. He said that the Donghua Gate area would be very congested, leaving me with no choice but say, "Thanks, Shifu," while asking how in the world could he get there. (Background: The Forbidden City and the surrounding Tian’anmen square regions are strictly restricted when it comes to driving into them).
- I said, "No worries at all! Can you just drop us off by Nanchizi Street?" (From what I looked up previously, you should drop passengers at Nanchizi Street). I had anticipated this anyway… but still, surely he, as a driver, would know the local routes better than us? I didn’t even ask for him to drive us down to the main gate. Does being abrupt really make any sense?
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However, this wasn't the worst of the ride:
- When we got closer to the Capital Hotel Area, the driver suddenly smiled at us (more of a grimace) and started asking questions such as why didn’t we stay at this hotel instead. He commented on room rates, asked my dad where he was from and said that Jiangsu was poor (from Jiansu Province in Eastern China, Jiangsu is famous for its poverty) “with nothing to offer except for egg with chili.”
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“Excuse me?” I said as I quickly responded with, "Jiangsu serves delicious food! If you haven’t experienced it before, you really don’t have any taste.”
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As it turned out, the heavy traffic had already delayed our plan. So, we alighted earlier than expected and rented a shared bicycle to proceed to the destination via Shenzhou Xingcheng, one of the few available rental points of bicycles on the street nearby, rather than to remain taking the cab.
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Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my trip to Beijing. The service offered by the hotels is warm. But both taxi drivers I encountered, locals with strong accents, kept advising and advising, not making a great impression.
Just to warn visitors coming to Beijing（especially foreigners）:
- Ride in taxis: If you encounter middle-aged or older drivers with stronger local accents, you may encounter some who can act in domineering ways or display rude behavior during the trip. Their perception of certain places might be unfavorable, and they might complain about traffic conditions.
- What to do: Most drivers are good, but once in a while, these occurrences happen. Maintain politeness; however, if their language is uncomfortable, feel free to advise them so or get off before your destination point.
- Traffic regulations around the Forbidden City: There are often traffic control measures around core tourism areas like the Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, making it difficult for taxis to directly reach certain entries.
- What to do: Plan ahead, use MTR or public buses to get to specific areas, and then walk or rent bicycles to reach desired destinations. When taking a taxi, provide drivers with a nearby street where parking or a station near the desired spot to drop off, rather than expecting them to drive visitors directly to the destination.
- Communicating and pick-up points: Concerned about language barriers or if drivers are unfamiliar with the path taken for pick-up locations, opt for major road intersections or known hotels as starting points.
- Didi or other ride apps can provide help by allowing the entry of Chinese addresses correctly.
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Don't take it to heart. It takes all sorts to make a world. As a Beijinger, I apologize on his behalf. Don't let it spoil your trip. Most Beijingers are good people.
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Thank you~ I couldn't agree more. Beijing really does have many good people, including yourself.
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As a Beijinger, I have to say, many taxi drivers are from the nearby suburbs. They start their shifts very early, and sometimes with traffic, they worry that delays will mean they earn less after paying their company fees. However, some drivers are truly obnoxious. I live in Wangjing. Once, I was taking a taxi from Capital Airport – this was before they had separate queues for Wangjing and downtown. I was already tired and irritated from a delayed business trip. The driver picked me up without a word. But once we were on the highway, he started tutting and complaining, 'I waited in line all night just for a fare like yours? What rotten luck!' He just kept whining. I snapped. I told him, 'A fare like what? Go on, say it! Am I not going to pay you? Did I threaten your family to make you drive me? Cut the crap and pull over right now. If you don't let me out, you'll have me to answer to!' He shut up immediately. Some people just ask to be put in their place.
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I used to live near the East Fourth Ring Road. Before ride-hailing apps, I'd end up arguing with taxi drivers almost every single ride.
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If a Beijing taxi driver tries to chat you up, you can report them. Generally, drivers aren't supposed to casually chat and disturb passengers. Secondly, about the phrase '我咋开进去?' (How the heck do I drive in?) – true Beijingers don't use '咋' (za) or '啥' (sha). They say '怎么' (zenme) and '什么' (shenme). So, that driver definitely wasn't a local. Please don't blame Beijing for it.
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That's also possible. People in Miyun, Pinggu, and Huairou (suburban districts of Beijing) use '咋' (za) and '啥' (sha) even more often than folks from Hebei province.
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When I was sightseeing in Beijing and asked for directions, the people I encountered were often cold and unfriendly.
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Then you probably weren't asking real old-school Beijingers. When we see someone asking for directions, our ears perk up. If the person giving directions points the wrong way, we'll jump in to help right away.
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When I use ride-hailing apps, I never choose the metered taxis. Forget tourists; these guys even dare to rip off Beijing locals. The light ahead will be green, but they'll hit the brakes, wait for it to turn yellow, then gun it just to stop at the line and milk the red light. Last time, I took a cab from my place to my mom's – a trip that should've been the 13 RMB base fare. He managed to drag it out through all four traffic lights, and the meter hit 19 RMB! Can you believe a base fare ride being stretched to 19 just by wasting time? I reported him straight to the platform. If you're going to smash your own rice bowl, I'm going to flip your whole damn pot.
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Exactly. If I didn't need a taxi receipt (for reimbursement), I'd usually avoid taxis altogether.
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This makes me so angry. That driver doesn't represent Beijing; he's just a bad apple. People like him bring shame wherever they go! Beijing has 26 million people now, but only about 7 million, perhaps even fewer, are native Beijingers. It's not just you; even we locals find many things hard to adjust to and have to put up with a lot. Drivers like him should be disciplined and reported – that's how the industry improves. True Beijingers don't think in terms of 'insiders' vs. 'outsiders.' Since my grandfather's time, we've taught our children: 'Be strict with yourselves and mindful of your conduct. To the world, you represent China; don't disgrace it. Within the country, you represent the capital; don't disgrace Beijing.' Mr. Wang Binggui from the old department store used to call all out-of-town customers 'domestic guests' – that's the true patriotic and inclusive spirit of Beijingers. We can't make everyone love this city, but I can make sure I do my part, raise my children right, and hold onto that sense of responsibility.
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Taxis are expensive and the drivers often have bad attitudes. Even we Beijing locals don't really like taking them. I've been in Northeast China recently, and taxis there are surprisingly cheap!
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We usually just use ride-hailing apps. Some taxi drivers... I just can't stand their attitude.
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I've never encountered a taxi driver with a good attitude in Beijing. They're expensive and rude.
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Absolutely disgusting. The first driver refused the fare because it was too short. The second one, the meter read 13 RMB, but he demanded 20. I ended up giving him 15. I gave those extra 2 RMB not because I couldn't argue him down, but more out of a grudging 'fine, whatever' feeling, just to get rid of him. Beijing taxi drivers are practically beggars, just short of robbers! He was grumpy the whole ride, complaining, full of negativity because the trip was short. Then, when I was getting out, he didn't want to open the trunk. I had to ask him several times while he played deaf before he finally did. I thought it was just a one-off bad day. But then, in the evening, I hailed a Didi, and the driver wanted to charge me for opening the trunk! My entire day's good mood was completely ruined, from start to finish, by these awful Beijing taxi drivers. Is this the general standard here? Like they've never seen money before? #BeijingTaxis
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Hahaha, I ran into a Beijing taxi driver today. It was just a base fare distance, and I only realized he hadn't turned on the meter when I was getting out. I asked how much I owed, and he said, 'Base fare, 15 RMB.' After I got out, I looked it up – the base fare in Beijing is 13 RMB! Why go to such trouble just to cheat someone out of 2 RMB?
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Report them. I support you.
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It's no use.