Taking a taxi is a very common thing nowadays, and almost anyone can come into contact with it.
But don't say that I don't know, China only really appeared after the reform and opening up, and Guangzhou is the earliest thriving city in China's taxi industry.
Reform and opening up|Travel has become a daily problem in Guangzhou, and returning to the hometown to visit relatives can only squeeze the bus
Before some taxis, it was very troublesome to take a taxi with a similar type of business, and even some of them could only be paid by foreign exchange vouchers.
At the end of the 70s of the last century, Guangzhou, as the forefront of reform and opening up, the city's transportation facilities could not keep up with the pace of economic development, and travel became a daily problem faced by Guangzhou people.
Before some taxis, the closest taxi business in Guangzhou was a special taxi, which was mostly used to receive overseas Chinese, foreign guests, and foreign heads of state.
These taxis have no toll equipment and do not roam the streets, but only park in fixed places and charge per kilometre according to different designated locations.
After arriving at the destination, the taxi must return empty, and no more passengers can be used, otherwise it will be regarded as corruption.
However, there are few cars and many people, and every holiday, there will be a large number of Hong Kong and Macao tourists with large bags and small bags, ready to return to their hometowns to visit relatives. When they arrived at the Guangzhou railway station, they had to barely squeeze into the overcrowded buses.
Lau Yiu-chu, a businessman who runs a taxi company in Hong Kong, has to face these troubles every time he goes back to Guangzhou to visit relatives, and the journey by car is extremely difficult. Lau Yiu-chu is full of business acumen, and he thinks that he can use it to bring Hong Kong taxis to Guangzhou.
On the other hand, the mobility problem is a shackle to urban development, and the Guangzhou Municipal Government is also determined to develop transportation.
The government's idea coincided with Liu's investment plan, and the two sides immediately began to discuss cooperation.
Reform and Opening-up|The cooperation between Hong Kong businessmen and the government has introduced a new trend of taxis that will stop changing immediately
Hong Kong companies introduced Hong Kong-style taxis to Guangzhou, which changed the way of travel in Guangzhou.
Since then, taxis have become a part of the daily life of Guangzhou citizens.
In July 1979, the Guangzhou Municipal Transportation Bureau set up a team to start preparing for the establishment of a local taxi company. In September of the same year, China's first modern management taxi company, Guangzhou Baiyun Car Rental Company, was officially opened.
One month later, 70 brand-new taxis, painted in a striking red, with roof lights and meters fitted with them, were ready to go.
From preparation to operation, it was jokingly called a red stool taxi in Guangzhou, and it was put into operation in just 4 years. The new mode of operation, taxi charging, telephone car-hailing, and 24-hour service has become the standard of the national taxi industry in the future.
In the early days, the taxi fee in Guangzhou was not cheap, 0.6 yuan per kilometer, and the monthly salary of ordinary people at that time was only a few tens of yuan.
Thankfully, there was a lot of appetite for new things, and new ways of getting around were quickly embraced.
It was even quite fashionable for young people to use taxis as wedding cars at that time.
Guangzhou's hand-raising stop, and since then it has become the standard action for people across the country to take taxis.
When Guangzhou taxis were first introduced, they were considered by many people to be a fashion symbol, and they were even used as wedding cars when they got married.
Reform and opening up is a testament to the cultural exchanges and integration between Hong Kong and the mainland
Interestingly, although taxis were introduced from Hong Kong, they are generally referred to as taxis in the mainland. However, the taxi that everyone often hears is used to indicate a taxi.
At the same time, the business cooperation has unexpectedly contributed to the cultural exchange and integration between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Taxis have now become a part of people's daily lives, not only changing the way they travel, but also one of the earth-shaking changes brought about by the reform and opening up.