Joy of Taxi-Vans
Today a friend kindly gave me a chest of drawers that he no longer needs as he is moving on to a new teaching job in Dubai.
Moving large items around British cities can be an expensive hassle, but it is really easy in Shanghai thanks to services like Datong’s taxi vans. You see these vehicles everywhere and they look like drinks delivery vans.
For 80 RMB, a Datong taxi van got my new drawers moved from Kang Qiao Ban Dao (Outer Pudong) to downtown Puxi. It is metred so shorter journeys will cost even less. The driver used a harness to secure the item and he helped me get it into my appartment.
You can get a taxi van by calling Datong’s booking line at 62580000. English speaking service is available and the driver turned up within 20 minutes even though I was out in the sticks. Stores will often book a taxi van for you when you buy large items such as a bike.
You can get taxi vans or equivalent vehicles from other rental companies. You can even flag bigger estate car taxis in carparks and forecourts of supermarkets, malls and household goods stores. It really annoys me at IKEA that lots of drivers come into to the store to start hassling customers. I have had bad experiences at IKEA with mercenary drivers who refuse to run a meter, but you can negotiate them down to more reasonable rates especially if they are freelance.
We once hired a man with a bicycle and a trailer to make multiple trips across the road. He charged us 20 RMB, but this is no good for longer journeys.
Tips are not expected, but I tend to give the driver a few extra kuai for helping me carry the items right into my appartment.
Unless you are very naïve, hiring a taxi for shifting your stuff around the city should be very reasonable.