Police say taxi drivers safer this festival

Despite a knifepoint robbery on Monday, police say taxi drivers in Beijing are in less danger of being hijacked or robbed during this year's Spring Festival as a result of preventive measures.

"Taxi drivers were once a main target of muggers desperate to find cash to take home to their families over previous Spring Festivals," Yu Rongbin, head of the police unit in charge of the safety of taxi drivers, told METRO yesterday.

He said the number of such cases has declined due to alert messages, training courses and GPS systems.