JD wrote:
I suppose this article tells us one thing and that is chinese cabbies wont be buying any LTI vehicles made in China. Not on 30 pounds a week.
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Guardian August 9, 2007 Thursday
Xia Shishan: 'The Olympics will be a golden time for taxi drivers'
Xia Shishan Beijing taxi driver
"When I was young," says Xia Shishan, "I didn't even know what the Olympics was." Now he is part of the Olympic traffic rehearsal: for the next two weeks, the government has ordered all official cars off the capital's roads, which should trim a million vehicles and hugely boost customer numbers."I guess this will be a golden time for taxi drivers," says Xia with a broad grin.
Along with pollution, congestion is the greatest stated fear of the Olympic organisers - and with reason. Fast-developing China has one of the world's worst traffic problems. In the countryside, congestion is so much a fact of life that it qualifies as serious only when the drivers get out and start playing cards and chess with each other. In Beijing since 2000, vehicle numbers have almost tripled, to 3.5m cars. A thousand more are added every day. According to the domestic media, the average speed in the city centre has plunged from 45kmph to 10kmph.
In his four and a half years behind the wheel of a taxi, Xia has seen the deterioration. "I guess I used to be stuck about one or two hours in every 12. Now it is at least three hours," he says. "There is a saying that if a car company wants to test its products, it should try them in Beijing, because this is where every type of problem arises."
In earthy Beijing fashion, Xia says he worked as a pig-[edited by admin] shoveller, a labourer and an electrician before going into driving. He is still not satisfied. "My monthly income was about 3,000 yuan (£195) two years ago. Now it is 2,000 yuan (£130). I expect it will go even lower in the future," he says. "I don't get any days off. I want to cry." Seven-day weeks are the norm for Beijing taxi drivers. Xia says he cannot afford a break: he supports a daughter at university and a sick, house-bound mother.
Xia declares himself a laobaixing - a regular guy. "We earn a little money, just enough to eat," he says. But compared to the past, he feels there is more ease and opportunity. "I was one of three children. We didn't have much. We used to eat tree leaves, sweet potatoes and flour. The only time we had meat was at Spring Festival. We had to buy everything with coupons," says the 47-year-old. "Life today is much better. We can eat meat every day. If we want to improve our lives, we can. But do I earn enough now?"
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