Cab trike business up despite crackdown
- Source: Global Times
- [08:43 July 29 2010]
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A police officer talks to a motorized tricycle driver near Nanjing Road East Station Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Cai Xianmin
By Zhang Cao
Many owners of motorized tricycles, who break the law by charging people for rides, said Wednesday that business has doubled since the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai started, despite a recent crackdown by authorities on the illegal activity.
Many of the owners operating in tourist spots said that they have managed to escape the wrath of police and chengguan, or city management officers, to cash in on the influx of tourists in recent months.
A woman surnamed Cui, owner of a motorized tricycle who makes a living by bringing people around the city, told the Global Times Wednesday that she and others working the same job have been significantly busier since May, when many out-of-towners started arriving in the city.
"Before the Expo, I could only make hundreds of yuan a month," Cui said. "But now I can easily make up to 2,000 yuan ($295) per month."
But operating the tricycles comes with risk, she said.
"We heard a rumor that the police were coming to Nanjing Road East to crack down on us, so we disappeared for the afternoon," Cui added.
One operator who did not receive the message was caught by police Wednesday afternoon. She was simply asked to leave the area.
Cui added that she and fellow operators have been taking extra precautions ever since police and chengguan began clamping down on operators earlier this week. Around 60 operators were caught by authorities, and some of their vehicles were confiscated. Others ditched their tricycles in the nearby river and jumped in after them to avoid getting in trouble.
Zhuang Liqiang, the press officer of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, which is in charge of monitoring such activity, preferred not to discuss whether or not such operators in downtown tourist areas would be included in the recent efforts to control operators when reached by the Global Times Wednesday.
Meanwhile, operators who offer to bring visitors to the Bund, Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall and Chenghuang Temple for 10 yuan ($1.4) a ride remain a popular choice amongst visitors.
"It's cheaper than a taxi and more convenient than public transport," a man surnamed Hang, visiting from Jiangsu Province, told the Global Times.
