Cab fare reference for hotels

HOTELS in Shanghai have been told to keep a taxi fare reference booklet in the rooms to fight overcharging by cabbies.

The booklets will have the approximate fare details from the hotel to all landmarks, tourism spots or transport points in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Transport Commission has told 50 hotels including five- and four-star and high-end chain hotels to have the bilingual booklets ready by May.

Nearly 90 hotels in Shanghai were told to offer free taxi fare enquiry service at their reception desk since 2012. Some of the hotels had put up boards with the fares at the hotel. From 2013, the city’s two airports and railway stations and tourist spots like Lujiazui, Jinmao Tower and Oriental Pearl TV Tower have fare details displayed prominently.

The commission said yesterday the booklets in the hotel rooms will improve the image of the services sector, while curbing overcharging by taxi drivers. Hotel staff who were in league with the taxi drivers will also be affected by the new policy, it said.

The commission has already calculated the fare and the hotels will simply have to design the booklet and print them.

In the last five months, 35 taxi drivers have been punished for fare violations or for refusing to take passengers to their destinations.

Ti Gong