I had an idiot play the fast meter trick. I was going from near the exhibition center to near Jin Bao Jie. At first it wasn't too fast then when we got close to Chaoyangmen it was well over 30. Is he joking? It should be around 21 including the gas tax. So I got angry at him and took a picture of his license on the dashboard. I paid 20 after that which was fair. What an idiot, I told him I've been in Beijing for many years and even gave him directions in Chinese. He tried to cheat the wrong person.
It has been more difficult to get a taxi. I had a hard time Saturday late afternoon.

this is definitely happening. There are cabs driving around all overt the place these days not picking up fares. I'm lucky if the 3rd or 4th empty cab stops for me.

It is not an illusion ... what the hell is up?

I heard that one thing going on is that they simply can't make a living, because Beijing refuses to raise their rates - they fear that doing so will cause a wide-spread panic about inflation.

Also, maybe they are all stuck in traffic. I spend 45 minutes in a cab from Sanlitun to Wanda the other day, at 2pm on a Wednesday.

This is definitely happening. I tend to cycle everywhere these days as getting a taxi can be such a nightmare. I did have to get one the other day to take some stuff home and the taxi driver told me that drivers that work for companies are not happy with the wages and working conditions. The guy said he had his own license and so was his own boss, something that is pretty rare in Beijing. He also said that many taxi drivers were unwilling to pick up foreigners as there was extra trouble involved. He didn't really elaborate what he meant and seeing as he'd picked up a foreigner he obviously wasn't talking about himself.

I noticed this guy waiting for a cab the other day. He was a foreigner and this taxi just went straight past him and picked up a Chinese person about 10m in front of him. He wasn't standing in a restricted stopping area so there was no reason the taxi driver shouldn't pick him up.

I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a taxi fare if it meant a better service and reasonable living conditions for the drivers. I would be worried though that their bosses would just cream off all the extra income generated.

My weekend will be a nightmare then as few of the places I need to go are near the subway.

The meter at first appears to be normal and then it gets faster and faster. The guy knew I caught him, but I know the drivers are unhappy so I paid him twenty which was fair.

A lot of drivers try to avoid the rush hour especially around populated areas like Sanlitun and Shuangjing as they are worried about the likely RMB10 fares that they'll pick up, they are looking for people with luggage that are likely making a longer trip.

The stats re drivers/# of cars and hours a driver works are kind of skewed. Very few drivers are the sole driver of a cab, usually there are 2 or more (for the newest ones, up to 3-4) and they work in daily shifts or every other day.

I've heard the city government has stepped in and has talked with the companies about these problems two weeks ago or so, we'll see if it makes a difference.

I also ride my bike, especially since having a toddler in tow is a double whammy when it comes to finding a taxi.
Every day on my way home (about 5pm) I pass by a group of 5 to 6 taxis down by the river at tong hui he playing cards. That has been the same for the last 18 months I have been taking that route. Perhaps the theory of not wanting to drive through rush hour holds some water but the logic of playing cards instead doesn't make much sense to me.
I am just thankful for the illegal taxi drivers that hang out around my complex. I'd rather not leave the house these days if I have to deal with the stress of finding a taxi. Sad because I have been in Beijing long enough to remember the beat up red Xia Li's that used to cost 1.2 kuai. Those guys were my first "Beijing Hua" teachers!

It's not about laowai vs Chinese. There is definitely a shortage of cabs compared to 2-3 years ago. I think since the Olympic hype has died down there are less cabs. There is some relation to the number of rickshaws too. Anyone here in 2007-2008 didn't see those rickshaws in Sanlitun. There were plenty of cabs. Now the rickshaws are back, causing traffic jams in Sanlitun and annoying everyone.
Another sign that things are changing is that a black cab driver approached me at the airport yesterday. I haven't had that happen since 2006. WTH is going on!?

It's officially impossible to get a cab in Sanlitun around 9-midnight. I just won't go there unless I'm going to stay out very late. I don't get passed up by cab drivers (in general) but just finding an empty cab is the problem.

And I understand passing on foreigners. No cab driver here wants to take someone who doesn't know where he/she is going and whips out a piece of paper with an address written in pinyin. I completely understand rejecting that person. However, if the address is written in Chinese, that's another story. I know rejecting passengers is illegal here but a cab driver once told me he wants to learn English just to explain the 燃油费 to laowai because they don't know the law and think he is trying to cheat them. If you're laowai and hate the crap treatment you get, blame all the laowai here that speak crap Chinese or no Chinese at all. They are ruining it for everyone else.

I think this year is even worse than before. With more waiting time people are just getting clever about how they use cab drivers. Most chinese and several foreigners that i know use cabs in the morning simply arrange with a cab driver to pick them up everyday at a scheduled time. Most even pay more for this service as you dont have to wait or worry about finding a cab even in the cold and rain. I suggest everyone on this list do the same.

I'd say it's even worse than depicted here. You can never just assume you'll be able to find a taxi anymore. Drivers (who are on duty and with empty cars) just pass you by about 60% of the time. Those rickshaws are a nuisance but necessary due to the lack of taxis.

Maybe the solution is to raise fares and require that drivers not refuse to take you because they don't like your destination. Isn't that supposed to be a rule anyway?

It's quite simple, taxi fares have not kept up with the inflation here. And the ever worsening traffic isn't helping either - taxi drivers are a lot pickier about where they go because they don't want to waste time stuck in traffic.

Unfortunately, it has come to that. It makes sense given the lack of taxis, however it shouldn't have to be this way. It's disappointing to have to arrange for taxi pickup service because there's no taxis around in an "international" city like Beijing. Is Beijing becoming a second-tier city?

Also, in reference to the additional gas fee. It would make more sense to have the fee automatically included on the price displayed on the meter rather than adding it on at the end of the ride. I'll admit, the first time I was in Beijing, I didn't know about the rule and I thought I was being cheated. After the driver hits the 3rd km, the price on the meter should change from 10 to 13 in order to include the gas fee. That might alleviate some of this confusion.

Without a doubt. Its harder to get a taxi. Also, they can be difficult when they take you out of your way, all for an extra 5 or 10 kwai. I suppose we should realise how cheap they are as Ive just come back from London and the only way you could afford a cab is if youve been rioting.

Like many other posters, I too thought I was going crazy, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. I normally bike everywhere, but I've been forced into a shitty mix of taking cabs/subway/rickshaws for the last month due to a leg injury. Back on the bike now, but definitely noticed the drop-off in service.

Some Solutions:

-Give drivers easier access to owning their own cab licenses and more incentive or commission-based pay. Obviously they don't give two shits about passing people up because whatever half-ass base salary they get paid is good enough to warrant ignoring customers.

-Have the cab companies/local government enforce the regulations that are most likely already in place. I can't imagine that there are no rules about picking up passengers or running the meter.

- For other foreigners: Learn some basic Chinese: 我想去(place) is a good start. Find the Chinese characters online and if you can't write them, do your best to scribble them yourself on a paper or card, or have a Chinese colleague text them to you.

-Invest in a good bike, helmet, and several locks so your ride doesn't get stolen, go around the traffic. You can explore more of Beijing as well, and it makes living here more fun.