Shanghai taxi drivers

Taxi drivers are surely the most important component of this big city. In the last month I tried to sketch a sort of a taxi drivers categorization:

– Some taxi drivers can speak some English, some can speak only Chinese, others can speak only Shanghainese;

– Some are very quite, others try to ask everything about your life (of course in Chinese), others don’t want to talk with you at all and wants to have you out of their taxi as soon as possible.

– Some taxi drivers drive like crazy, others cannot drive or will eventually fall asleep if it is soon after lunch or at the end of theri night shift; others are on the contrary very professional and careful.

– Someone drives with a Toyota (very seldom), others with a brand new version of Santana, others with a broken clatch.

– Someone wants to listen to his favourite radio program (and want you to shut up), someone wants you to seat in the front, to have a chat;

– Someone laughs, someone is very serious, someone is very tiny, someone is very big. Someone is very rude, someone is good educated and could teach you a lot about the Peching Opera.

One thing is sure: You just need to know exactly where you want to go, the street address should be better written in Chinese and you should be able to give the exact coordinates for the nearest intersection. Do it and you won’t (almost) have any problem.

Drivers, while generally honest, are sometimes genuinely clueless and occasionally out to take you for a ride. Wikitravel, Shanghai.