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Taxi troubles 出租车之困 Take a hike 歇菜 Jun 12th 2013, 1:43 by T.P. | BEIJING  Beijing’s taxi drivers and passengers seem to be suffering under socialism with too few chinese characteristics 北京的哥和打车一族似乎饱受不够中国特色的社会主义之苦 BEIJING’S beleaguered cab drivers have been complaining for years about the relentless growth of their operating costs, and the city government’s stubborn refusal to allow them to raise their taxi fares. The first proper increase in seven years, including a 30% increase in the base fare, was authorised this week. But even so, many drivers remain grumpy. 多年以来，北京的的哥的姐们对不断上涨的运营费用已是叫苦连天，顽固的北京市政府却一直拒绝提高打车费用。直到本周，7年未见变化的打车费终于迎来了合理调整，其中起步价格提高了30%。但是即便如此，许多出租车司机仍然不甚满意。 The fare hike—from 10 yuan ($1.60) to 13 yuan for the first 3 km of any ride, and from 2 yuan to 2.3 yuan for each additional kilometre—went into effect nominally on June 10th, but drivers will not see the extra money until their fare metres are converted. This will be done on a rolling basis, officials say, and the job will not be finished until the end of June. 北京打车的起步价格从3公里内10元（约合1.6美元）提高到了13元，之后每公里的收费从2元提高到了2.3元。名义上这一措施将从6月10日起正式生 效，但出租车司机们在更换计价器之前不会见到任何实际的收入增长。官方称这一过程需要循序渐进，全部更换工作要在6月底才能完成。 Even then, drivers say, they do not expect much of the money to come their way. “The big meaty part of the crab stays with the taxi company,” said one driver who contracts his car from Shouqi (Capital Car), one of the biggest taxi companies in Beijing. “The drivers just get to gnaw on the little crab legs.” 的哥们说，就算计价器全部更换完成，他们也不指望能多赚多少钱。北京最大的出租车公司之一，首汽公司旗下的一名出租车司机说：“螃蟹肉都在出租车公司碗里呢，司机们顶多啃啃螃蟹腿。” Beijing cabbies have long been prone to grumble, and it is easy to sympathise with them. They often work 12-hour shifts in a city where living costs are high, traffic is brutal, and tips are rare. Petrol prices alone are nearly double what they were in 2006, when the last fare hike was implemented. They have been allowed to levy small fuel surcharges in recent years, but in amounts that barely make a dent against the increase in their overall costs. 北京的出租车司机们抱怨已久，而且他们理应得到理解和同情。这座城市生活成本高昂、交通糟的要命、极少有人给小费，而司机们每次轮班要工作12小时之久； 上次调整出租车计价还是在2006年，而现在的汽油价格几乎比那时翻了一番；虽然最近几年出租车可以收取小额的燃油附加费，但这对整体上涨的成本来说无异 于杯水车薪。 The unhappy drivers have in turn made for an unhappy taxi-riding public. Because of their tiny margins, drivers often refuse to pick up customers if conditions are not just right. Heavy traffic means too much waiting time and too much fuel consumed. Wet weather almost always leads to bad traffic, and also to higher risk of accidents. An unattractive destination could lead to an area with bad traffic, or a long and empty ride back to richer pastures. 司机不满意，导致打车一族也不满意。因为利润实在微薄，出租车司机经常拒载那些拉了也不赚钱的乘客。拥堵的交通意味着待客时间过长，燃油消耗过大；只要有 点刮风下雨那么交通几乎一定会苦不堪言，而且出现事故的几率也会大大提高。如果乘客前往的目的地不理想，出租车要么会陷入拥堵的车流中，要么就得放空跑回 来，重新回到打车人多的地区。 New ways have emerged for passengers to sweeten the pot on their own. On the low-tech side, would-be passengers can offer extra money to the many “black” cabs—unregulated private cars—that now prowl Beijing streets. 于是打车族开始自己另辟蹊径。乘客可以选择多掏点钱打“黑车”，即非正规经营的私人汽车，它们经常潜伏在北京的街头巷尾。这是一种没什么技术含量的方法。 On the high-tech side, increasingly popular mobile-phone apps, like Di Di Da Che, allow Beijing taxi-seekers to give not only their location and destination, but also the size of the tip they are willing to pay. Interested drivers can reply with their own location, estimated arrival time, and number-plate information. 而有技术含量的方法，就是选择日渐流行的打车应用，例如“嘀嘀打车”。这种应用不但使北京的打车一族可以提前告知其上车地点和目的地，还可以提前告知司机其愿意多付的小费金额。感兴趣的出租车司机可以向打车人回复自己的所在地、预计到达时间以及自己的车牌号。 Regulators do not approve, however, and are moving to restrict the use of such systems, out of the worry that giving passengers the ability to signal a tip will undermine their overall control of pricing. Increasing the number of taxis on the road might offer them a similar measure of control, but unfortunately they have not seen fit to use it. 然而，监管方不高兴了。他们开始限制这种应用的使用，理由是担心乘客自定小费金额会威胁到总体价格管控。其实提高出租车数量也可以实现类似的管控效果，但遗憾的是官方似乎不打算这么做。 According to the Economic Observer, a Chinese newspaper, the number of taxis in Beijing has remained steady at 66,000 over the past ten years, despite the city’s growing population and the rising levels of income that make it possible for a greater proportion of residents to hail a taxi now and then. Planners, the report says, will continue to limit the total number of taxis. 据中文报纸《经济观察报》称，尽管过去10年来北京的人口不断增长，收入水平不断提高，时不时打个车的居民也越来越多，但北京的出租车数量一直稳定在6.6万辆左右。而且决策者还会继续限制出租车数量。 They may have their reasons for that. But on the streets of the capital—of a country that says it wants to increase the role of market forces—one thing is clear. Something in the equation of supply, demand and pricing is not adding up. 也许他们有他们的理由吧。但是在一个自称要更多依靠市场力量的国家里，其首都街头却有一件事变得很明显：在供给、需求、价格的方程式中，有什么东西不对头了。 |
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