Drill prepares taxis for import expo
Taxis line up at the No. 6 parking lot near the expo venue on Thursday in a drill to help the drivers familiarize themselves with the route to the expo venue and what they must do to better service expo visitors.
A drill for taxi drivers was carried out on Thursday to make them familiar with the route they will have to take when picking up and dropping off passengers at the National Exhibition and Convention Center during the upcoming China International Import Expo.
A total of 25 taxis from major taxi firms of the city gathered at the No. 6 parking lot for the expo on Huaxiang Road, around 200 meters from the venue. The parking lot will be exclusively for taxis and they will be lining up there from 1pm every day during the event, waiting for visitors leaving.
Passengers who get off taxis at the parking lot can enter the venue via a corridor or from Songze Avenue, which will help them avoid the large flow of visitors on the west side of the venue.
The city’s transport commission has arranged another four spots for taxis, one on Songze Avenue and the other three near the northwest corner of the venue's No. 1 parking lot.
All taxis will first wait at the No. 21 parking lot and be dispatched to No. 6 parking lot according to demand.
The No. 6 and No. 21 parking lots each have spaces for 600 taxis.
Previously, the city's five major taxi firms had planned 15,300 taxis for expo visitors. The commission said it had decided to add another 8 percent to the taxis at the venue in case demand as large.
Last year, 350 electric cars served in the taxi fleet for the expo. Another 1,500 new electric cars will be added to the fleet this year.
