China Youth Network, Beijing, June 23(Reporter, Zhang Ruiyu) At about 5 pm on June 22, a taxi stopped at the entrance of the Palace Museum. The driver stood next to the car with an umbrella and looked in the direction of the Palace Museum from time to time. Nearly 30 minutes later, a reporter from China Youth Network asked the driver if he could go. When the driver learned that the reporter was going to a university near the South College Road, he thought for a while and said bluntly, "This place is too close, I never use a meter," and refused the reporter to ride.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, Beijing was in heavy rainfall weather. The reporter came to the Palace Museum, and the rain caused some inconvenience to travel. At 17 o’clock, only a few tourists came out of the North Gate of the Palace Museum, which was much more empty than usual.
A man in white short sleeves, holding an umbrella in his hand, stood next to his taxi parked at the north gate of the Palace Museum and looked in the direction of the Palace Museum. At first, China Youth Network thought that the driver was here to pick up people, but after nearly 30 minutes, the reporter of China Youth Network did not find that the driver had checked his mobile phone and contacted people. Still holding an umbrella and looking in the direction of the Palace Museum.
A taxi parked at the north gate of the Palace Museum was partially blocked by a tricycle. Photo by Zhang Ruiyu, a reporter from China Youth Network
The China Youth Network reporter called the driver and asked if he could go somewhere on the South Road of the Academy. The driver thought for a while and confirmed to the reporter whether it was near a certain university. After getting a positive answer, the driver bluntly said, "This place is too close, I never use a meter.", refused the reporter to ride, and looked in the direction of the Palace Museum again.
Not long after, a black car came out of the Palace Museum. When it passed the white short-sleeved driver, the driver nodded and bent over, made a gesture to please the people in the car, and greeted them with a smile, saying, "I’m waiting for you, I’ll leave immediately."
Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people at the north gate of the Palace Museum, the group of four foreign-accented women with a child attracted the attention of the white short-sleeved driver. He took the initiative to ask where he was going. One of the foreign-accented women said she was going to a hotel, and a tricycle master next to him said near Wangfujing, "behind the church". The foreign-accented woman asked, "Fifty yuan for one person… with children?" The white short-sleeved driver said "Count". The group left in a car.
Soon, two more people came to Nanluoguxiang, and the tricycle master said 20 yuan each and took them away.
Afterwards, a reporter from China Youth Network stopped another taxi. After learning where the reporter was going, the other party bluntly said that the location was too close to be cost-effective, and they were going to get off work. They asked the reporter to walk forward and take the subway.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, a reporter from China Youth Network learned from Shan Jixiang, the director of the Palace Museum, that the scalpers who sold tickets, small advertising activities for one-day trips, and taxi riders had been rectified and were now almost extinct.
The China Youth Network reporter contacted the transportation committee. After listening to the reporter’s situation, the customer service of the transportation service supervision hotline told the reporter that they were responsible for recording the information and would transfer it to the law enforcement department for investigation and handling. They would reply to the reporter within 15 working days. As for the penalties for taxi slaughter, they could not judge.
