Foreigners and out of towners have recently been found to be the targets of a particular Nanjing taxi driver, one who had also installed a device in his car to inflate the distances travelled, and thus the fares to be paid by the unsuspecting.
It was during a random police check on taxis servicing the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum scenic spot on Purple Mountain that the device was discovered. Police officers noticed the taxi meter’s pricing appeared unusually high.
Placed on the back of a regular taxi meter, the cheat device comes with a remote control which the driver can use along the journey to exaggerate the mileage travelled. The devices are sold and installed by the criminal fraternity.
Officers who pulled over the taxi remarked that the driver, who remains unnamed, freely admitted that he had bought the cheat device online and installed it himself.
“Business is not good”, he told officers in the nearest traffic police station. “It was only for the holidays, when a lot of visitors come to Nanjing”.
“I usually try to pick up more foreigners and non locals”, the driver went on, showing he was willing to take advantage of their unfamiliarity with Nanjing’s roads.
Both the driver and his employer can expect administrative penalties, revealed The Paper in an online video report.
These kinds of unscrupulous taxi drivers are these days finding themselves in the minority, however. And it’s thanks to technology.
Back in January, it was announced that special QR codes would start appearing in Nanjing taxis. Upon scanning the code, passengers are able to obtain an accurate estimation of the fare for the journey as well as the driver’s name and employer, whether he or she has made an unnecessary detour, and other information. This remains in the passenger’s smartphone for easy reference later should it be required.
Nevertheless, the recent incident on tourist-infested Purple Mountain of course highlights the need for foreigners to be constantly vigilant for such possible spams that may be the brainchilds of their perceived ignorance. The Nanjinger has previously published a guide to Nanjing’s top scams to which non locals may become victim that can be read via this link.
