Comment

When will the capital's cabs stop asking passengers to cover fuel surcharges?

By Ni Tianjian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-08 10:28

Recently while in a cab, I asked the driver about the No 93 gasoline price and he told me it was 6.20 yuan per liter. Then I asked other taxi drivers about the gasoline price.

Most of them told me the current price of gasoline was 6.20 yuan per liter, although some reported a slightly higher price, but it's still lower than 6.50 yuan.

Why I am so interested in the price of the gasoline? Because it has something to do with whether I need to pay the one-yuan fuel surcharge fee on top of the amount showed on the meter. I have spent more on taxi fares every month since Beijing started to charge fuel surcharge fee last year.

After I learned about the latest price of the gasoline, I just could not help wondering if we would be spared the taxi fuel surcharge.

Since the second half of last November, Beijing has launched a price mechanism connecting taxi fares with gasoline prices. When the gasoline is over 6.50 yuan per liter, passengers need to pay the one-yuan fuel surcharge if they take a ride longer than 3 km.

Currently the price of gasoline No 93 has dropped to 6.50 yuan per liter. According to the price mechanism launched by the government, it should take action to stop charging the fuel surcharge fee, but I am wondering when the government will do it.

All stations have lowered gasoline prices along with falling international oil prices since January. According to Beijing Youth Daily, domestic gasoline prices in February will continue to decrease. PetroChina and Sinopec have already started a price war before the Spring Festival by cutting prices by 0.20-0.40 yuan per liter.

Although there is no official price cut yet, both PetroChina and Sinopec have lowed their gasoline price following the market change, even lower than gasoline price of private-owned gasoline stations. Does this mean it's time to stop the fuel surcharges?

Beijing should be clear about how it calculates the time for price changes, instead of being vague and confusing. It should not intentionally forget the cancellation of the surcharge after passing on operating costs to consumers. When will gasoline prices be officially lowered and how much longer will the city cabs collect the surcharge?

(Excerpts of a commentary that appeared in Beijing News on Feb 7.)