| I believe taking the taxi is definitely the better choice, for a few reasons: 1. To go to work, Metro is the best option. It is MUCH faster than any road transport during peak hours, and is always on time regardless of how crowded it is (maybe wait a couple trains). Getting to and from a Metro station is impossible with your own car without wasting lots of money and time on parking. Shanghai has good (soon to be excellent) public transport, for very low prices -- why not use it? 2. You can work on the taxi. Laptop, SMS, paperwork, everything! Even if there's no work, you can read the newspaper or call a friend to talk. Reading is impossible when driving yourself, and talking is dangerous when traffic is crowded. 3. You have no liability. In your own car, you might hit another car or a bicycle, or injure a pedestrian. If the taxi does that, it's not your fault. You can just pay the fare, get out, and call another taxi. 4. You save a lot of stress. Driving during peak hours is like fighting a battle, and there's no point in adding to the stress of a long work day with two hours of perilous driving. Road rage is very, very terrible for your health. 5. Taxi drivers are better at squeezing past buses. Enough said. 6. You help improve society's living conditions. Driving your own car adds pollution to the already polluted air, whereas the taxi will be there whether you ride it or not. Also, owning a car promotes American-style car culture, which has a horrible influence on public life. Every street here is lifeless and barren. Nobody walks; there are no shops to look at; there is nobody to greet. This kind of city planning is unfriendly and environmentally unsustainable. Shanghai should realize that and limit development of suburbs. 7. When you're drunk, you shouldn't drive or you might die. :) |
Take Taxi or Buy a Car?