Illegal taxi operators arrested, fined for scamming Indian passenger in Shanghai

A fixer for an unregistered taxi has been detained after an Indian passenger was charged an exorbitant amount of money for a ride from the Pudong International Airport to her hotel in Shanghai.

It's reported that the Indian passenger identified as Ranjani arrived in Shanghai for business last week. She was approached by the fixer who invited to her to what was allegedly an "official car" to transport her to the hotel. Ranjani was charged 750 yuan (105 U.S. dollars) for a 30-kilometer ride.

She later discovered she had been scammed after her Chinese colleagues and people at the hotel told her the transport shouldn't have cost that much.

"This is my first time here in Shanghai and I had no idea this is five times the normal price," Ranjani said.

[Screenshot taken from STV video]

A ride-hailing app shows the same route normally costs between 100 to 300 yuan, depending on the car and services.

A reporter dialed the phone number on the receipt from Ranjani's payment and a man who answered the call claimed they charged the same fare for their "high-end" airport pick-up services no matter where the destinations.

Investigations by the Shanghai traffic authorities found the car that transported Ranjani didn't have a license to operate as a taxi. The company has been ordered to return the money.

Authorities told thepaper.cn that the driver has received a 10,000 yuan fine and that her license will be suspended for three months. The car has been impounded.