Local cabbies in Shanghai say more signs should be set up at the Pudong International Airport to warn travelers about the large number of "black cabs," or unlicensed taxis, trolling the airport for customers, some of whom end up paying outrageous fees.

The licensed cabbies say the existence of so many unlicensed taxis at the international airport has damaged the image of the city and will end up hurting many innocent tourists.

The airport needs to establish more signs noting "Do not contact unauthorized cabbies" to alert tourists, some legal cabbies and frequent travelers suggested.

After interviewing veteran cabbies and experienced air travelers, a Shanghai Daily reporter visited the airport yesterday and found a large number of the unlicensed cabs and touts who hustle up customers for them.

As the reporter wandered outside the arrival gate, a string of touts asked her where she was headed and offered to get a taxi for her.

While they usually offered fees a little bit lower than market price, industry insiders say they are more likely to rip off foreign tourists who don't speak the language and are unfamiliar with the city.

Mao Weijie, who has been driving a taxi for seven years in the city, said the touts take tourists to illegal drivers who are waiting nearby in return for a commission of about 30 yuan (US$3.6) for each customer they attract.

The sly touts often play tricks to get the tourist into the cars.

A local businessman, surnamed Wu, said he was angry at seeing some scalpers cheating foreign and non-local tourists who are new to the city.

"They usually appear very hospitable to the foreigners and even help carry their luggage," Wang said.

However, he said he had seen them frequently cheat tourists in order to get their business.

"When they learn a foreigner is heading for somewhere in Pudong, the touts tell them they are waiting in a line for taxis to Puxi and offer to take them to a Pudong-bound cab," he said.

Wang said he has seen a lot of foreign travelers leave the taxi line with the touts.

As only licensed cabs are allowed to wait at the airport's designated taxi stand, the illegal taxis park a small distance from the exits to avoid detection.

The airport is able to support 500 to 1,000 legal cabs during most hours of the day and offers seven bus lines heading for different destinations in the city. So tourists are seldom forced to choose an underground taxi for a lack of legal ride from the airport.

Jin Kangsheng, an experienced cab driver with a major local taxi fleet, said he once saw a Malaysian tourist being forced into an underground cab by the driver and his helper after he refused to pay a ridiculously high fee. The duo demanded 990 yuan after they took the man from the Pudong airport to his hotel. Alert hotel workers rescued the frightened tourist, Jin said.

Legal cabbies complain they need to wait at least three to four hours in line to pick up a single ride at the airport, while the illegal cabbies pull up and quickly steal a customer.

Qiu Zhengzheng, an official with the Shanghai Taxi Administration Office said illegal cabs and scalpers have become a headache at major transport terminals including the airports.

Qiu said the administration has cooperated with police to crack down on underground taxis.

He said more than 6,000 illegal cabs have been caught so far this year in the city, up from just over 5,000 last year.

Officials said most of the illegal taxis are easy to spot since they don't have a taxi sign or meter. Such "black cabs" are rarely seen downtown, but commonly spotted in some suburban areas.

However, some illegal cabbies have signs and meters in them to fool commuters, earning them the nickname "cloned cabs."

Qiu said the administration has the right to detain each fake cab for up to 15 days and police will also look into the background of the cars, since many are stolen.

An illegal taxi driver can be fined 10,000 yuan (US$1,207). A "cloned cab" driver faces a more stringent fine ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (US$3,623-6,038), according to officials.

(Shanghai Daily December 27, 2004)