Law enforcement officers crack down on taxi offenses
A private car had "empty car" sign in its window.
Nine taxi drivers were caught turning down passengers during a crackdown on taxi offenses on Saturday night, law enforcement officers of the Shanghai transportation commission said on Sunday.
The commission is running a monthlong campaign against taxi offences such as turning down passengers, not using meters and rigging meters ahead of the Labor Day holiday and the China Flower Expo in Chongming in May.
The campaign will be focused on traffic hubs such as airports and train and bus stations and some of the most popular tourist sites of the city, such as the Bund and Yuyuan Garden.
The offenses discovered on Saturday night were discovered in the area of the Bund.
Also, a person was found to be using his private car to run a taxi business while possessing no qualification.
The person, a man surnamed Fang, had an “empty car” sign behind his windscreen, which is legally found only in taxis.
If a taxi driver is discovered to be turning down passengers for the first time, he or she will be fined 200 yuan (US$30) and suspended for 15 days. If discovered for the second time, the driver will lose his or her taxi driver’s license and be banned from driving taxis, including those hailed from the Internet, for five years.
People who use taxi signs in their private cars can be fined up to 3,000 yuan.
Residents are advised to take evidence of taxi offenses in the form of video or audio recordings or receipts and file complaints to the city hotline 12345.
