After speculation for months and hearings for, well, hours, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform announced Friday that taxi fares will indeed rise, from a RMB 10 flag fall for the first three kilometers, to RMB 13.

None of the taxi drivers we spoke to Monday knew when the new fares would go into effect, and the commission did not include a timetable in their announcement. However, one driver the Beijinger interviewed Monday night said that the fuel surcharge, currently RMB 3 per trip over three kilometers, will be reduced to RMB 1 but will apply to every fare, regardless of distance. That means that just like our friends in Shanghai, we'll be paying at least RMB 14 every time we get into a taxi.

Many Beijingers have found a temporary solution to the problem of finding taxis via the Didi Dache or Yaoyao Zhaoche apps available for various smartphones. While Beijing's municipal government continues to discuss taxi reforms, such as a higher flag fall, another major Chinese city has already taken action to ensure that those apps won't be part of the solution there.

BEIJING — Liu Bin stood outside the gate of No. 4 High School, waiting to take the test that would change his life. His mother was with him, anxiously clutching the homemade lunch she’d made for her son.

“I’m so nervous for him,” she said.

But Liu remained calm. He had crammed for this test for the better part of a year.

Just then, an administrator emerged from the school and opened the gates. Liu took the lunch from his mother and flooded in with the hundreds of others who were waiting by the gate.

Don't forget to carry a little extra yuan in your pocket when you're out and about this holiday because taxi fares will rise from RMB 10 to RMB 13 for the first three kilometers starting tomorrow, June 10.

On the same day that Beijing taxi-booking app users shuddered when Shenzhen banned them, the municipal government began public consultation on how best to address cab drivers' complaints about low wages.