Tales of Taxi Biking in Dongguan Humen

What do you call bicycles as private transport? I’m calling it taxi biking because I have no idea.

Anyway, is it legal in Dongguan? I’m not sure. There were a few incidents where the drivers have asked me to get down early because they didn’t want to ride past the police station and gave a vague reply when I asked why!

I first took the bike 2 years ago when I got lost wandering in one of the streets. I’d heard from my boss and vendors in China that riding on the bikes was very dangerous and I shouldn’t do it. But I was lost, late for an appointment and I didn’t want to take a cab.

So I flagged down an uncle cycling and asked him how much it was to get to my destination. I remember it was around 8CNY (S$1.74) and I was there quickly.

But I got why they warned me that it was dangerous.

There was no place to hold on to except the bottom of the driver’s seat or the backrest of the passenger’s seat. And the passing cars were never courteous. They’d cut in front of the bikes and drive extremely closely. I’ve even had buses cutting in front of my bike, enveloping us in their ‘fragrance’. I have to remember to keep my arms and legs as close as possible to the bike.

There was once when I saw 2 lady passengers on a single bike (which is quite a common sighting). Thank goodness they were driving near the pavement because they fell over onto it when the bike was turning. I shudder to think what would have happened if they were in the middle of traffic! I’ll definitely stick to a single passenger on one bike. How much money can you save anyway?

I was wondering how the drivers could cycle every day and not be utterly exhausted when I realised they were riding electric bicycles. I was on one last year where he was speeding at full throttle to avoid the coming thunderstorm. With my hair whipping around and the wind in my face, I felt like I was on a motorbike and held on for dear life!

My last ride on the bicycle was just this month while I was on a work trip. The bike was running low on battery and the driver was panting furiously while cycling. A third of the journey through, he asked me to alight and got another driver to continue. The poor driver was straining himself (because of my weight gain?).

So is taxi biking in Dongguan Humen really dangerous?

No. You shouldn’t get hurt if you’re careful, hold on tightly and keep your limbs close to your body! I think it’s a fun experience to try and a different way to travel, especially if you don’t get their buses (like me)! A 5-minute ride should cost about 5CNY (S$1.09).