BEIJING: Mercedes-Benz taxis, considered a status symbol the world over, may no longer ply in China's gleaming business hub Shanghai as cab operators have decided to withdraw these due to extremely high running costs.
Mercedes-Benz sedans will be withdrawn from Shanghai's taxi market by September, a local taxi company in the eastern Chinese metropolis said.
The city's cab companies will limit themselves to two car brands from Volkswagen, Santana and Passat, a company spokesman said.
Among Dazhong Taxi Company's 100 Mercedes-Benz cars, 45 were pulled out from service yesterday due to high operating costs, the report said.
The company deployed Mercedes-Benz cars in January 2004.
"Operators and drivers have been driven crazy by high maintenance costs. These luxury cabs not only cost more to buy, they guzzle more fuel, and take longer to repair," the spokesman said.
Each Benz car costs about USD 75,000 but the fares they charge are the same as other cheaper brands of cabs. Despite being more experienced, Benz cab drivers earn less than those who drive less famous car brands, the report said.
There are now 43,000 cabs in Shanghai, a city of nearly 17 million people.
