By Li Cheuk Lung
Traffic, a main concern of every reporter, was the most unforgettable experience during my reportage trip in Beijing as the Two Sessions conferences every year mark the biggest news event in China.
During the eight-day trip, I was assigned to go to various venues to make reportage on group meetings or panel discussions. Most of the venues were far away from my lodging. Therefore, taking taxis was the only way to get to the place.
Just like any other prominent cities in China, the so-called “black cab”, a nickname for all kinds of unlicensed taxies, also exits in Beijing. The trick of identifying whether it is a black cab is to check out its number plate.
In Beijing, if a taxi’s number plate starts with “Jing (京) B”, then it is a licensed taxi. On the contrary, if a taxi’s number plate starts with “Jing E”, “Jing” or non “Jing B”, most likely it is an unlicensed “black cab”.
Besides watching out those black cabs, to get to all those venues, I also faced another problem: insufficient number of taxies. Due to the vehicle control policy, taxies in Beijing downtown areas are in great demand during the peak hours, such as 8-9 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.
At one time, I anticipated an hour “taxi journey” to get to the place, but I wasted nearly 20 minutes waiting for a taxi outside of the hotel. As a result, I arrived late in the interview location.
Black cabs certainly ruin Beijing’s image, but there are also good and honest taxi drivers. I remember, for example, in one morning I rushed to cover Sichuan Province delegates’ meeting, but the taxi driver did not know how to get to the place. He came across my two sessions press card and said: “I know you are a reporter. Reporters always serve the community well.” The driver did not want to hinder my work, so he drove the taxi to the main street for me to catch another taxi. He did not charge me for that journey.
