There will be many problems in the development process of all walks of life, and these difficulties will make the current industry undergo earth-shaking changes, and the changes are good and bad.
There is competition to have progress, this is particularly critical to the development of the industry, any industry if a monopoly, there will be a lot of problems, such as the decline of industry vitality, internal chaos.
Therefore, the state vigorously cracks down on the monopoly industry, once a company is about to monopolize this industry, it is not a good thing for either party, which has been verified in the earlier taxi industry.
At that time, it was fashionable to take a taxi, and at that time, only a few cars could be seen on the street, and it was the dream of many people to become a taxi driver.
At that time, many people relied on becoming a taxi driver to earn their first pot of gold in life, which not only made a lot of money, but also was very easy, and it was a very decent job at that time.
But today, this profession has been added with a lot of different symbols.
Whenever a driver stops on the side of the road and asks if you want to ride, most people shake their heads with disgust in their eyes.
Fewer and fewer people are waiting for taxis on the side of the road, and more people are choosing to use online ride-hailing, and even if there is a taxi nearby, most people would rather spend a little more time waiting for an online ride-hailing car.
What is the reason for this problem? How has the rise of ride-hailing impacted taxis? What does this reflect?
1. The glory and loneliness of taxis
The concept of taxis can be traced back to the Republic of China, when there was already a situation of rickshaws being pulled by humans.
It is the rickshaw in people's impression, which is a means of transportation of the same nature as today's taxis.
At that time, rickshaws provided a convenient way for the middle class to get around, and these drivers were not as comfortable as today's drivers, and were basically at the bottom of the social ladder.
They need to rely on their own labor, running around the streets all day long to earn hard-earned money, and many drivers are between survival and poverty, and can only barely make ends meet.
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The remnants of these times lasted for a long time, and when trams and automobiles arrived in China, they were phased out and replaced by more convenient and faster ways.
However, this line still needs other means of transportation to fill it, and after the founding of New China, the human-powered tricycle appeared.
As a means of transportation and loading, it was a matter of pride to own a tricycle at that time.
Although there were still automobiles, trains and other means of transportation at that time, for the majority of people, these modes of transportation were not only impractical but also expensive, and tricycles became the most preferred way to travel.
At the beginning of urbanization, many rural people poured into the city and their first job was to pedal a rickshaw, and with the development of the times, the rickshaw withdrew from the historical stage.
After that, electric tricycles became the main force, electric vehicles are more convenient, do not need to go through manpower, instantly swept the streets and alleys, and became one of the main means of transportation for people.
Even now, we can see it in both urban and rural areas.
After the electric tricycle was lonely, taxis came to the stage of history.
A large amount of infrastructure has gradually improved, so that taxis have a place to use, and people are more willing to choose efficient and fast taxis to travel.
In fact, taxis have long entered the country, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other developed cities, these places took the lead in the use of demand, at that time most of the domestic taxis were concentrated here.
At that time, the service objects were those who were either rich or expensive, taxis represented high-end, and taxi drivers were enviable high-class jobs.
Not only does it have a high income, but it also has an enviable social status.
After the development of the domestic transportation system in the future, taxis also have a unique position.
It is faster than the bus, and many people choose to take a taxi when they are in a hurry or need to save time.
At that time, the price of a car was in the hundreds of thousands, which was unaffordable for any family, and the advent of taxis created greater demand, which made more and more people pour into the industry.
This has also made the industry more and more mature, and from 2009 to 2016, the scale of urban rental vehicles in the country has maintained a year-on-year growth.
From 2016 to 2017, it began to show a downward trend, and at the end of 2017, the number of rental vehicles in the country was about 1,395,800.
And people's income is also growing rapidly, "taxi" is no longer the patent of the rich, has become a daily way of travel, behind the saturation of the market, the taxi industry has encountered difficulties.
The entry of online car-hailing has had a serious impact on the taxi industry, and it can even be said that it is a dimensionality reduction blow, and ordinary taxi drivers have lost the opportunity to compete with other drivers.
But many people do not feel sympathy for these drivers, but applaud, what are the reasons behind all this?
Second, the taxi industry chaos
There have been many problems with the development of taxis over the years, and some of them are unbearable for many passengers.
It's just that this situation is powerless to change, and it wasn't until the emergence of online car-hailing that taxis completely fell to the bottom.
After so many years of development, when it comes to taxis, the first word that pops up in people's minds is "stealing customers".
How exaggerated is this phenomenon? If you look for a random person in the whole country, eight out of ten people have encountered this situation.
In the early years, drivers met customers based on people's prices, because only they knew what the route was like, and how much to open depends on their mood, and most drivers would report highly.
The journey, which originally only required five yuan, may be slaughtered by the driver to 20.
Many people spend money in ignorance, and after some people see through it, the driver is not panicked, looking like "do you like to sit or not".
This situation naturally attracted the attention of the state, and then there was an additional meter on the taxi, which would calculate the corresponding price during the driving process, and the customer could see these at a glance.
There are policies and countermeasures, and these drivers understand the crooked brains, and simply start to detour, many outsiders unknowingly fall on the road, even if the locals are careless, they will fall into the pit.
Some drivers also spend a lot of money to modify the meter, or even simply do not play the meter, negotiate a higher price and then send the customer to the destination, otherwise they will refuse to ride.
In addition, the taxi experience is sometimes very poor, at the train station or at the entrance of the university, many drivers will fill people in one go, even though the customer has paid for the whole car, but still have to carpool.
Especially in those years when there were fewer taxis, this situation was especially serious, even if the experience was not good, the driver's attitude was also very arrogant, but there was no fear, and there was no shortage of business to do.
There are even some other problems that arise because of the high price of renting a car, and there may be multiple people who rent a car together, running in shifts during the day and night, and the environment inside the car is unbearable.
These problems have become a common phenomenon in the taxi industry at that time, and many customers are limited by the traffic environment and have no other choice but to endure in silence, but it does not mean that they have no opinion on this matter.
With the progress of the times, various map navigation software and the decline in car prices have had a major impact on the taxi industry, and online car-hailing came into being.
The emergence of online car-hailing has completely replaced the social status of taxis, and the reason for the explosion of taxis is because of convenience and speed, so online car-hailing can be described as a comprehensive crushing in this area.
Third, the strong rise of online car-hailing
After Didi enters the market, it first connects with the Internet, allowing customers to call a ride-hailing service with just one click on their mobile phones.
This greatly reduces the waiting time, and although it takes a certain amount of time for the master to arrive, it is not full of uncertainty like a taxi, which needs to be completely empty to sit in person.
And if you need it, you can also make a reservation in advance online, which meets a lot of needs, and online car-hailing quickly occupies the taxi market.
In addition, there is another key point, the price of online car-hailing is completely "transparent".
As early as the beginning of the order, you can see the estimated price, unless there are special circumstances, otherwise the price is not much different.
And all the action routes will also be planned, and any action can be clearly displayed, so there will be no situation like a taxi detour and killing people.
In order to facilitate the selection of people without crowds, different models and different prices are also provided for passengers to choose, and the intimate service has won the goodwill of passengers.
Because of the need to compete with taxis in the market, many companies spend a lot of money to make discounts, usually the price of online car-hailing is 10%-30% lower than taxis, and even a few dollars can be used to get a car.
Taxis have a starting price, no matter how close the distance is, as long as you take a taxi, you need to pay a starting fee + fuel surcharge, so it is better to choose to walk if the destination is close.
In addition, the experience of online car-hailing is better, because it is your own private car, and daily cleaning and maintenance are in place, which can provide customers with a better experience.
If passengers are willing to spend money, they can also enjoy butler service.
From all aspects, online car-hailing has crushed taxis, taxis have basically withdrawn from the historical stage, online car-hailing is people's first choice, and many taxi companies have begun to transform into online hailing platforms.
epilogue
The taxi has gone from glory to end, reflecting decades of China's development, and if a thing is immersed in the glory of the past and does not reflect on its progress, it will be eliminated sooner or later.
Most of the taxi drivers are good people, and only a small number of drivers are opportunistic and cheating.
Even if this chaos is improved in the later stages, it is too late, and customer trust has reached rock bottom.
The advent of online car-hailing is the inevitable development of the times, and more efficient and fast things will inevitably eliminate the things that fall behind, and online car-hailing will not become what taxis look like.
Because of this, people would rather stand and wait for ride-hailing than get into a roadside taxi.
Resources:
Internet Perspective: 2018-05-09 "The Past and Present Life of Chinese Taxi"
Nuan Xiaoqi self-media:2024-04-07 "Why would people rather wait on the side of the road for online car-hailing than take a taxi parked on the side of the road"
Can Duck Literature and History:2023-12-19 14:57"Why do people prefer to wait for online car-hailing on the side of the road rather than take a taxi parked on the side of the road"