PSA: Beware of taxi scammers

Shanghai officials have issued a warning against taxi drivers that may be using black market devices to scam passengers. The gidgets, which can be had for "several dozen yuan" either make the meter tick faster or increase the distance traveled.

According to Shanghai Daily:

The Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Inspection's taxi meter test office said it had found nearly 80 such devices in taxis in January and February, mostly targeting foreigners and tourists from other provinces at airports and railway stations.

Officials said even taxis from reputable companies were involved.

It may be even harder to tell whether your fare's been illegally raised, now that new taxi meter designs seem to be popping up.

While the Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement Team said it will do its part to inspect taxis around the city's communication hubs, it recommended that everyone spread the word of the city's consumer hotline. If you feel like you've been cheated, call 12315.

We don't know how effective 12315 would be, or whether its worth all the trouble to get back a few kuai, but at least you know there's something you can do.