Guangzhou taxi drivers strike over licence fees, black cabs
Industrial action also triggered by city's plan to allow more taxis on the road, which drivers say will squeeze their already low incomes
Taxi drivers in Guangzhou went on strike yesterday as the Canton Fair opened, with some claiming that more than two-thirds of the city's cabbies had joined the industrial action.
Drivers said they were calling on the authorities to cut monthly licence fees, crack down on unlicensed taxis and reverse plans to allow more taxis in the city.
Xinhua reported that more than 400 taxis had "operation suspended" signs on their windshields, adding that some drivers put the number at over 2,000.
Several taxi drivers told the South China Morning Post that as many as 70 per cent of the city's taxi drivers were taking part in the industrial action. They said they would continue the strike today because the government had ignored their calls.
According to the municipal transport authority, Guangzhou has about 22,000 taxi drivers.
Strike organisers said they notified most taxi drivers across the city through online social media and phone messages. Many drivers parked their cabs on roadsides all day yesterday while others roamed the streets without stopping for passengers.
The Yanggcheng Evening News reported on its website yesterday that hundreds of taxi drivers went on strike in the early morning. But the report was soon inaccessible.