Passengers face rush hour taxi fare hike

Taxi passengers in Shanghai could be forced to pay higher fares during rush hours, it emerged yesterday.

The municipal government announced it is to carry out a full study into the raising of tariffs.

The authority could also reinstate booking fees, cancel the late-night tariff and revise the fuel surcharge, said the transport and port bureau of Shanghai.

The move follows a proposal by Tu Haiming, a member of the Shanghai municipal standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to raise taxi fares during the annual sessions this year.

But the authority assured no changes would be made before a full round of public hearings is completed.

The announcement has met an unsurprisingly mixed response among passengers and drivers.

Passengers already pay more during rush hours because of the bad traffic (taxis charge a reduced rate when stuck in road jams), raising the fares even higher is unreasonable, an office clerk surnamed Zhang said.

Driver Zhang Bo disagreed but admitted the government should carry out a study to divide days in to peak, low and flat hours before raising the tariff.

However, research highlighted by Tu in his proposal said 75 percent of passengers and 50 percent of taxi drivers felt the late-night tariff, which begins at 11pm when the standing charge rises from 11 yuan ($1.6) to 13 yuan, should be scrapped.

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Coming Attractions: Apr.27th - May 4th

Next is our weekly pick of entertainment options in major Chinese cities. We will introduce you to some of the best films, plays, concerts that are sure to leave you spoilt for choice during your leisure time. So why not start marking your calendar, if films and shows are your cup of tea.

"Iron Man" to be released

A model oil worker famous in China during the 1960s has been portrayed in a recent big screen production. The biopic will be released across China during the May Day holiday.

Revolving around the career and life of model oil worker Wang Jinxi, the film tells the story of a group of oil workers in 1960s China who dedicated all their efforts and enthusiasm into the country's oil exploration. The film also chronicles China's oil industry over the past five decades. It was shot at the Tarim oil field in northwest China as well as at the Daqing oil field in the northeast.

Director Yin Li says he hopes his film reflects part of the huge changes in the country after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. And he added that it is a gift to the motherland on it's sixtieth anniversary.

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