China's cab drivers are having to pay a price with heavy congestion in the cities, hefty rental charges, growing numbers of private-car owners and long, tiring hours on the roads to make ends meet. Photos Provided to China Daily

China's cab drivers are having to pay a price with heavy congestion in the cities, hefty rental charges, growing numbers of private-car owners and long, tiring hours on the roads to make ends meet. Photos Provided to China Daily

"Now, it takes about the same time just to turn a corner," he says, as he drives past a traffic accident on Xuanwumen Outer Street, along the South Second Ring Road.

Kong Jinqi, who has also been a cabbie for seven years, says he uses up the same amount of gas whether he's moving on the roads, or idling in traffic, but passengers are charged less in waiting time. Because of this, he prefers to spend his days in the taxi line at the airport, at hotels or the train stations - where we found him.

No holidays or days off

Office workers and business travelers are the cab drivers' best customers. Foreigners hail cabs often, but some drivers admit to a bias against them, mainly because of the language barrier.

Wei Shujun, a cab driver for five years, says he finds the language barrier too troublesome.

Also, most foreigners are not familiar with their destinations, and he finds difficulty explaining the two-yuan fuel surcharge levied on rides longer than 3 kilometers.

Li Jinde, on the other hand, waves off the problem. He simply waives the 2-yuan fee for foreign passengers.

The biggest gripe Lu Huaping has is his inability to take a day off, or have a holiday. He still has to pay the cab company its 200-yuan charges if he takes a rest.

"I'm a worker too, am I not? Why can't I be protected by the Labor Law just like other workers?" he grumbles.

"There are small, private cab companies that don't charge their drivers for their holidays, but these companies are too few."

Paying the cost

The lack of adequate rest points to the biggest price the cabbies have to pay: their health.

A study on Beijing cab drivers' reproductive health, completed earlier this year, found that 56.7 percent of respondents suffered erectile dysfunction. The results also showed that their rate of prostatitis - an inflammation of the prostrate gland - is 10 percent higher than that of the general population.

Doctors say that prostatitis is the most common problem for drivers because of the long hours they spend behind the wheel.

Some cabbies we interviewed worked 12-hour shifts, every other day, some put in the same hours every day. Others, like Kong, put in 20 hours, 15 days a month.

"I need to earn enough to support the family," he says, explaining that besides his wife and two children, he's also taking care of his elderly parents.

As his fellow cab driver Kong puts it, "We are sacrificing our lives to make money."