Podcast: Story in the Story (1/23/2019 Wed.)
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From the People's Daily app.

And this is Story in the Story.

Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, has over 80 taxi companies, with 13,500 cabs and 28,000 drivers that provide transportation for close to 7 million people. Residents there also have 12 ride-hailing apps to choose from and 11,000 registered cars and 12,000 registered drivers.

Luckily, regulations are on the way aimed at improving the quality of service.

"Ride-hailing should be regarded as an important part of the overall taxi services, and their services should be regulated and supervised to ensure smooth development and fair market competition," said Chenma Duoli, director of the legislative affairs committee at the Hangzhou People's Congress

But it's the human element that society will grow to miss as automated taxis will hit the country's roadways this year.

The first fleet of 50 self-driving taxis developed by a Chinese startup company is expected to hit the road in East China's Anhui Province in March, which may give the nation a head start over other countries' commercial autonomous vehicles.

Even though automated taxis will be able to transport passengers from one point to the next in a timely fashion, when it comes to performing acts of kindness or saving lives, both scenarios it cannot compute. 

Today's Story in the Story looks at how the human element plays a vital role within China's taxi industry but could slowly diminish as automated cabs are just around the corner.

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Wang Huajun, a taxi driver from Yichang, Hubei province, spends time with primary school students in an underdeveloped area. (Photo: China Daily)

Wang Huajun, a taxi driver from Yichang, Hubei Province, has been on call for a special passenger for 18 years, and drives her anywhere she needs to go.

In March 2000, Wang saw a small woman on crutches and a white-haired elderly woman waiting for a taxi.

Wang stopped and helped the two into his cab, Yang Lihua, who has had rickets since the age of four, was taking her mother to the hospital.

When they arrived, Wang didn't charge the women. Instead, he gave Yang his number and told her to call him whenever she needed help.

The cabbie kept his promise. For almost 18 years he has picked up Yang or her family members whenever they needed him. When he has time, he takes Yang for a drive to the suburbs.

"For us, he is a family member now," Yang said, adding that through his kindness and perseverance, Wang gradually gained the family's trust.

Few people knew what Wang was doing until 2008, when Yang presented him with a silk banner, a formal way to express gratitude, at the taxi company where he worked.

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A taxi driver is reflected in a side mirror as he uses the Didi Chuxing car-hailing application in Beijing, Sept 22, 2015. (Photo: China Daily) 

While his colleagues didn't fully understand, Wang said he was just doing what he could to help those in need.

It is just one of the driver's many acts of kindness. In his 19 years of taxi driving, he has returned money he has found to passengers 12 times, amounting to a total of $55,270.

Wang frequently organizes activities to encourage people to visit their elderly relatives in Zigui.

Sometimes his volunteer work eats into the time he could be working, which used to upset his wife, Deng Lingli, until one day when the couple saved a man's life.

The pair came across a taxi driver who had been hit by a car and was bleeding, they took him to the hospital. 

In Beijing, a story about a cab driver whose wife accompanied him while he worked just so he could take care of her, went viral on Chinese social media. The cab driver's wife has Alzheimer's and cannot be left alone.  

Shen's story was brought to public attention in November after one of his passengers wrote about him on Chinese social media.

Shen is a licensed cab driver who also works for the ride hail service Didi. He later revealed that several potential passengers have refused his services once they notice his wife sitting in the front seat.

Netizens urged Shen's future passengers to show their kindness and respect for the couple.  

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe, and Da Hang. Music by: bensound.com. Text from China Daily.)