London taxis hit the streets of Shanghai last Saturday, and I was lucky enough to catch one on their first day running. Desperately searching for a taxi, I saw a green light peek out in the distance above a wave of cars. To my surprise, what I thought would be a regular minivan taxi was actually a gold-painted London taxi. This wasn’t my first London taxi ride in Shanghai, as Uber (a car service application) had a fleet roaming the streets over the summer. However, this was definitely the first time I had seen one of these cars beneath a beaming green light. Bursting with excitement, I jumped into my gold ride to be joyfully greeted by a driver dressed in a classic chauffeur uniform, white gloves and all. The driver was significantly friendlier than most taxi drivers, and receptive of my broken Mandarin. I quickly learned that I was his 6th passenger and that the car I was in was one of 50 introduced that day. 150 more cars will be added to the fleet in the near future. My first question, naturally, was how much this thing cost. He pointed to the meter, and I saw the flagdown rate at 19 RMB, 5 RMB more expensive than regular taxis, which is pretty steep. This 5 RMB difference, however, is more than justified. The interior of the car is remarkably spacious. At 188 cm, I am able to fully extend my legs, with space to spare. In fact, the car is so spacious that it is tailored toward disabled people, and offers a discount for disabled people that ride in it. Besides the surplus of space, the car has an air purifier, wi-fi, and other controls with miscellaneous functions. Overall, my ride was more than delightful, and definitely worth the extra 5 RMB.

Although the inside of the car provides for a nice experience, the exterior is questionable. The decision to paint them gold is clearly no mistake. Whereas the taxis in London were first ordered to be painted black by Queen Victoria, in mourning of the death of her husband Prince Albert, Shanghai took a more “cheerful” approach. The gaudy, champagne-colored versions of the classic black London taxi is definitely representative of Shanghai and will most certainly bring interesting character to the city. This article was written by Enrique Menendez. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Enrique Menendez