Originally Posted by Mannequin

Has anyone besides me fallen victim to the electric bike "taxi" scam? You know those guys that ride around on the 3-wheel electric bikes with the open-air bench seat on the back? Well I was only going about 7 blocks up the street, and when I asked the price, the guy held up 3 fingers. I thought the price was 30 RMB, but when I got to my destination, he told me 300 RMB and pulled out a card showing that a one-hour-riding-tour of the famous sites was 300 RMB, but also a single ride was 300 RMB. I told him he was absolutely crazy and there was no way I was going to give him the equivalent of $45 USD for driving me about 5 minutes up the street, when I could ride all the way to the airport in a comfortable, heated taxi for that much. As Chinese culture would have it, as we stood there arguing we were soon literally surrounded by Chinese passersby who had stopped to watch the spectacle. I eventually wound up giving him 100 RMB which was still WAY too much, but I didn't want to stand there arguing for the next 3 hrs. Please beware! If these guys approach you just say no! Or at least make them show you their price list before you agree to unknowingly get ripped off.