Early Post reporter Ge Rongjin - Netizens yesterday appealed that in the Sanya Fulin Fish Village overcharging scandal, those penalized should not be limited to Fulin Fish Village. The taxi drivers who sent tourists into the "jaws of the tiger" for kickbacks should also be dealt with.
Recently, the media reported that in the typical chain of seafood restaurants overcharging customers in Sanya, taxi drivers play a very important role. They help these seafood restaurants attract customers for kickbacks.
Difficulties in obtaining evidence against taxi drivers luring customers
According to the statistics released by the Sanya Industry and Commerce Bureau from 2011 until now on administrative penalties for illegal operations of seafood restaurants, including "Fulin Fish Village", "Kai Xu Fresh Fish Stall" and others, four seafood stalls have been investigated for suspected "commercial bribery". These seafood restaurants were without exception fined hundreds of thousands of yuan, but no taxi driver or other individuals helping to lure customers for kickbacks have been punished.
Regarding the situation where taxis help to lure customers and collect kickbacks, relevant departments had already learned during the price setting process for seafood restaurants that 25%~35% of their turnover is generally used as kickbacks for taxi drivers.
The Early Post reporter saw at the Transportation Management Office of the Sanya Municipal Traffic Bureau a commitment signed in November 2009 between this office and all the city's taxi companies called the "Sanya Taxi Enterprise Operation Manager Commitment". It stipulates that there should be no fraud,诱导 passengers to shop, consume, gamble or engage in pornographic activities, etc., which are disguised forms of customer exploitation. Violators will be fined 30,000 yuan each time.
"However, since its issuance, no taxi driver has been punished for this," said He Jiacheng, director of the office of the Transportation Management Office of the Sanya Municipal Traffic Bureau. Passengers encountering fraud, inducement to shop, consume, etc., disguised as customer exploitation while riding in taxis usually complain to the industry and commerce department. However, the industry and commerce department lacks effective communication with the traffic management department, leading to the traffic management department being unable to obtain valid evidence of customer exploitation.
Permissiveness towards taxi drivers exacerbates the difficulty of hailing a taxi
Because it is impossible to handle taxi drivers involved in disguised customer exploitation, it has indirectly exacerbated the difficulty of hailing a taxi in Sanya.
During the Spring Festival, the Early Post reporter found in Sanya that many people on the side of the road were trying to hail a taxi, but most empty taxis passed by "ignoring them".
"During holidays, taxi drivers mostly go to high-end hotels or scenic spots to wait because there the relative profit margin is higher," an unnamed taxi driver in Sanya introduced. Customers picked up at hotels or scenic spots are definitely tourists, whether they go to eat or visit other scenic spots, the operators of those places will give taxi drivers a certain amount of kickback, "Often, the amount of one kickback exceeds a driver's daily revenue. Who would then bother running around aimlessly?"