Driver fined for operating illicit taxi

Fengxian district authorities have fined a cab driver 5,000 yuan ($817) and seized his vehicle for running an unlicensed taxi, local media reported.

The law enforcement branch of the district's urban construction and communication commission received an anonymous tip from a local resident that a driver of a black Volkswagen was operating a taxi without a license, according to a report in the Shanghai Evening Post.

The district commission found that the car, which had a Jiangsu Province license plate, had been picking up three Americans from a hotel at 7 am every day for six months. It usually brought them back around 4 pm.

The driver charged the passengers 150 yuan per trip. He made the arrangements to pick up the passengers through the hotel concierge because he couldn't speak English and the Americans couldn't speak Chinese.

Apparently, the driver paid someone at the hotel 1,000 yuan per month, though it was unclear to whom.

The commission found that the car did not belong to the hotel. Its driver had installed a taxi meter inside the car, which violates regulations.

One morning, the car was stopped by the law enforcement staff at the intersection of Jianghai Road and Huancheng Road South in Nanqiao town.