Recently, I was running a little late to work and I thought
that I would take a cab instead of waiting for the bus. So, I walked to an
intersection and tried to hail a cab. Since it was rush hour, all of the cabs
were full. Then, I heard someone yell “Hello!” I looked over and a man is
motioning for me to get into his car. I told him “No thank you,” and continued
to try to hail a cab. Well, he just wouldn’t go away. After I refused him a
second time, another man tried to lure me into his car. The two of them continued
to pester me and I became very uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure I don’t look like
a prostitute or a hitchhiker so, I couldn’t figure out why strange men were
inviting me into their cars. In the end, I walked to the bus stop so, I wouldn’t
be alone anymore. Then, the bus came and I went to work.
At work, I told my coworkers about my creepy encounters. It
turns out that I was not being propositioned. I was being invited into a
counterfeit cab. Beijing, home of counterfeit everything, is also home to a
giant fleet of counterfeit cabs.
A counterfeit cab (aka a black cab, an illegal cab, or a
gypsy cab) is an unlicensed vehicle acting as a taxi cab. I’ve heard that a lot
of the counterfeit cabs are driven by former licensed taxi drivers. They just
use their own vehicles for a side business. However, it is not safe to take one
of these. There is no way to know if the driver is a violent criminal, a thief,
a safe driver, etc. Plus, their prices are usually 2-3 times what a regular cab
would charge.
It’s easy to distinguish between a regular cab and a
counterfeit cab. The regular taxis are distinct looking. They are usually
painted in a red/yellow, green/yellow or blue/ yellow combo. There are a few
other designs but, these are the most common. Plus, they have a light up sign
that says “taxi” on the roof. Another way to tell if a taxi is legal is to look
at the car’s tag. All taxis in Beijing have a license plate that begins with B.
Plus, real taxis typically don’t have tinted windows and counterfeit taxis
usually have darkly tinted windows.(Hence, the name “black cab.”)
If you’re ever in Beijing, ignore the counterfeit cabs. Your
wallet and your nerves will thank you.
Counterfeit Cabs Outside of the Yuquanlu Subway Station on Friday Evening
__________
An Example of a Real, Licensed Cab
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The official "Beijing B" Taxi License Plate
(The Chinese character says Beijing)
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