MANY taxi drivers waiting at Futian High-Speed Railway Station for customers were reported for refusing to charge fares based on their meters and offering their own prices, sometimes even refusing to take passengers to close destinations, according to a recent local TV program.

    A follow-up report Tuesday found that many taxi drivers had taken risks to overcharge passengers, because the taxi business had become more competitive than ever and some cabbies were eager to make money by shirking professional standards, according to a taxi driver.

    The cabbie said that some taxi drivers don’t care about receiving complaints from passengers or even being disqualified from driving taxis because the industry had already become tough for them.

    A previous report disclosed that many taxi drivers would park their cars in front of the exits of the railway station ahead of the next wave of passengers getting off trains, instead of lining up at the designated taxi areas.

    When asked to go to Baishizhou, one of the taxi drivers charged two passengers 100 yuan (US$14.5) while the meter-based fare would cost much less.

    Passengers getting off trains are normally instructed to go to the designated taxi pickup areas, but some taxi drivers are not satisfied with the arrangement. One of the taxi drivers even asked a security guard if he could lead passengers to where they parked their taxis.

    According to a taxi driver on Tuesday’s program, there are fewer irregular actions among cabbies inside of the former Special Economic Zone, but he added that such violations do exist because of dropping profits and the fact that many drivers are struggling with the more competitive environment after the emergence of app-based taxis. (Zhang Qian)