介绍:
Xiaohua: A survey of 54,000 travelers by the online travel guide TripAdvisor said Beijing trails only Moscow when it comes to the unhelpfulness of its locals, the unfriendliness of its taxi drivers and the poor quality of its taxi services.
So are these claims true?
Liuyan: I don’t know, because I don’t feel like Beijing taxis are that bad. I mean, at least the ones that I have taken. The drivers are usually very talkative. So, just in that sense alone, I wouldn’t say that they are acting like: Oh, who are you? I don’t care about you at all.
John: Yeah, I think I really, the problem with Beijing is that it’s just not very consistent. I’ve had great taxi cab drivers. You know. I met really, really talkative ones, you know, that we’ve talked the entire run. It’s really really nice. I met amazingly gruff ones, ones that actually were amazingly rude to me, during the trip, and even as I was getting out. When it comes to locals, for example, if we look at part of these results that also has something to do with unhelpful locals, which actually Beijing ranked second to last as well, I think again that’s just going to be hit-or-miss. I mean I’ve had people who I’ve asked for directions, and they’ve been really really helpful. Other people, they would just say: “Oh it’s just over there somewhere”. And then that’s it.
Xiaohua: Yeah, I do think that “inconsistent” is probably the word here. In terms of taxi service, they have the same, very good services and also very bad services. But I think it is a fact that it has become harder and harder for people get a taxi in Beijing. You know it has nothing to do with the drivers’ attitude. But basically it’s becoming harder to hail a taxi. That’s probably unpleasant experience as well.
Liuyan: That’s probably true. That’s my personal feeling as well. But the thing is if you are in Beijing, and you are not a local, maybe you can ask for help from local people. If you think you just go to some random person on the street, he‘s not just gonna to say “oh, let me help you”. At least, you can go to a nearby hotel or something and ask the staffers to help you.
John: Also I think what happens with taxis, and Xiaohua you brought this up, it reminds me of it. It’s actually very difficult to adjust the cab hailing culture, in Beijing particularly but I think mostly in China, is that if you are standing in front of someone on the road, then you will get that cab. So most people, I think especially people from Western Europe or from the United States, they come here expecting everything to ba fairly orderly. They are not used to things as chaotic and as, you know, as fight-for-yourself mentality. So this actually takes a while to get over. And most people here for a week, they are never actually get over and find people to be extremely rude.
Xiaohua: Yeah, yeah. This bugs me as well, and I am a local here living for 30 years something. But you know, I’ve had people jumping out from nowhere, and just get in my taxi.
John: That’s not your taxi until you earn it, right?
Xiaohua: Right. So I think you can just get used to it or you can fight for yourself, you know.
Liuyan: I have a very good story, because last time I ran into someone who was like that, it should be mine, but at last minute he just swooped in and said okay I have it first. But then the driver told him: “Okay, I need to go somewhere, and I am only going that direction”. So he had to get off. After I got in again, and he told me “that was not the case. I was just saying that”. So that, you know, as he got punished.
Xiaohua: Wow. That tells a very good taxi driver that you ran into.
John: I’ve seen it a few times where the taxi driver would notice that someone just came out onto the road and bypass them for someone who they did notice to be there longer. But at the same time I don’t necessarily blame them. I mean all they are doing is looking for fairs. And it’s difficult to tell who has been there longer.
Xiaohua: Yeah. And the taxi drivers here I think are pickier. You know they tend to pick jobs. For example, not a lot want to stop for babies in strollers.
John: That’s very true.
Xiaohua: Not a lot want to, you know, go for, for example, pregnant women, knowing that, for example, there is a maternity hospital nearby, because they want longer rides. They just tend to be generally more picky than I guess taxi drivers in other cities.
John: Oh, yeah.
Xiaohua: That’s not good. But also in terms of, you know, the helpfulness of the locals, I’m not sure that I want to blame Beijingers for that, ’cos, you know, the experience that I had and some of my foreign friends’ experience all told me that Beijing locals can be quite hospitable and quite helpful.
Liuyan: Exactly. That’s why I think you know it’s just another chart. You can choose to believe it or not, because from what I heard, you know, New Yorkers are notoriously bad when it comes to being helpful.
John: Oh, yeah.
Liuyan: But it’s not even you know among the last three.
John: Yes or no, I mean. New Yorkers also can be some of the friendliest people in the world. Again it’s just very difficult to say. I think the problem with Beijing perhaps it’s going to be a language problem and perhaps once you kind of reach the end of your Chinese at least in understanding and someone is not going to show you somewhere, perhaps you think they are not helpful.
Xiaohua: Yeah. Also the service industry people they should be better trained and have better attitudes.
John: That’s very true.
