(A taxi driving on the road)
Every day, taxi drivers traverse every corner of the city. They witness the city's development and changes and get to listen firsthand to the voice of the people.
Indeed, taxis are a great place to learn from each other and exchange views. Wang Jiansheng, a Beijing-based taxi driver and 2017 recipient of the "May 1st Labor Medal", says: "Driving around every day, taxi drivers learn a lot. We get to observe the latest changes taking place in Beijing."
Fewer people are wearing masks and more people are paying by QR code.
Driving around the city every day, taxi drivers are particularly sensitive to changes in the air. "In previous years, passengers would always wear masks in the taxi, and would never roll down the window. Nowadays, very few passengers wear masks," says cab driver Yang Zhongzheng, who drives mainly in Beijing's Haidian District, as he rolls the window halfway down. "The government's environmental efforts have been very effective."
Beijing CBD under blue sky and white clouds. (Luo Xiaoguang / Xinhua News Agency)
"In terms of people’s riding habits, the most significant change is the payment method," says a taxi driver surnamed Yang as he points to the QR code attached to the car. "Nowadays, when passengers set foot in the cab, the first question they ask is whether they can pay via WeChat or Alipay. We make over 20 trips each day, and only one or two trips are paid in cash."
