Originally Posted by
tauphi
Because it's about the only ride that pays more than a pittance? Seriously how much has the cost of living gone up in Shanghai over the last ten years? The cost of housing in Shanghai is similar to most Western cities and the taxi fare is nowhere near the Western average.
The more relevant metric is how much have wages increased over the last 10 years, though there is obviously a strong correlation. But, I approach things from the wage perspective because it's important for people who make 6k per month to be able to afford taxis. Based on my own company's salary data (small sample size, and our industry is not necessarily representative of the big picture), 5k per month 10 years ago was the rough equivalent of 6k per month now. As such, I suppose a ~20% (e.g. flag drop increases from 14 to 17) bump in fares might make sense. Didi rates would obviously follow suit.
That having been said, I'm uncomfortable with the idea tipping just because you feel drivers deserve more money. This just sets expectations, and unevens the playing field. I have a little more sympathy for pre-tipping. While this practice still screws over poor people, if they venture outside on a rainy Friday night, they know what they know what they're getting themselves into. Furthermore, tippers jumping the queue aside, it's much better to book a didi and wait (in comfort) for an hour v standing on the side of the street for 30 minutes.