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Mercedes-Benz taxis await holiday travellers
By Shao Xiaoyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-01 06:08
Then, when you add in the rocketing crude oil prices and high maintenance
costs, you can see why drivers are in a quagmire.
"Driving a Mercedes-Benz taxi is a tough way to make ends meet," said Wang
Wei, who was waiting outside a major hotel at noon on Friday. "I have to wait
outside hotels or office buildings instead of driving on the roads for customers
in order to save petrol and minimize losses.
"The huge consumption of petrol, high maintenance fees and lower occupancy
rates have ended my dream of operating a luxurious cab."
Wang pays his taxi company rent of 11,500 yuan (US$1,418) a month 300 yuan
(US$37) to 400 yuan (US$48.8) higher than that of ordinary taxis such as
Sonatas, Bora or Passats. What's more, he said he pays around 4,000 yuan
(US$493) for petrol.
But repair bills add to the problem. For example, changing a brake shoe on a
Mercedes-Benz costs about 3,000 yuan (US$370). For ordinary taxis, it costs
around 300 yuan (US$37), Wang said.
Wang's profit comes after he earns 600 yuan (US$74) a day, which is not easy
if customers prefer to ride in lower-charging taxis, Wang said.
"Higher prices reduce the number of passengers," he
said, echoing the views of his fellow drivers. "Sometimes, I think I don't want
to drive a Mercedes-Benz any more."
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