Beijing South seeks answer to taxi woes

Passengers complain of difficulties leaving train station late at night

In the face of harsh accusations of poor taxi service, Beijing South Railway Station has upgraded its facilities to provide passengers a better experience when they wait for cabs at night, the station's spokesman said on Monday.

Beijing South, one of Beijing's three major railway hubs and one of Asia's largest train stations, has faced questions in the media recently over poor passenger experiences, including long waiting lines for taxis, "black cabs" outside of the station that overcharge and difficulties entering and leaving the station.

The station handles about 154,000 passengers each day on average during the summer travel rush.

From July 1 to Aug 31, the station is expected to handle 9.53 million travelers.

The station has installed 14 air-conditioners and glass fences in taxi-waiting zones, and is allowing more hailed cars and online booking for taxis after 9 pm to cater to demand. An LED screen has been installed to display real-time information about the taxi line, including estimated waiting time, Liang Zhaoyu, spokesman for the station, told China Daily on Monday.

The station will install fans and renovate the roof in the taxi waiting zone to make passengers more comfortable, he said. The project will be finished by the end of August.

Last week, news stories about taxi shortages at Beijing South went viral online.

The city's subway shuts down at about 11 pm. But from 11 pm to midnight, about seven to 10 trains arrive at the station, leaving as many as 10,000 passengers searching for taxis and night-shift buses at the same time. At night, passengers have complained about waiting two or three hours for a taxi at the station.

If a passenger isn't willing to wait, they could catch a "black cab" outside the station, which often asks three times the regular price. Nighttime buses are also limited.

The news has renewed Beijing residents' longtime discontent with the station. The station's name, Beijing South, has been used derisively as "Beijing difficulty" by netizens and media, since the word "south" in Chinese is pronounced the same as the word "difficulty".

To tackle the problem, stakeholders including government departments, the station and the railway company conducted an on-site survey and conferred on Sunday to find solutions.

Starting on Sunday, passengers can order buses at night.

The transport authority will release nighttime train arrival information through Beijing transport radio and the taxi dispatch center, encouraging more taxi drivers to pick up passengers during late hours. The authority will also encourage taxi companies to dispatch more taxis to the station.

Departments of transport, public security and others will make joint efforts to clear nearby streets and keep the illegal "black cabs" off the streets.