Started from an old car
After the car settled in Shanghai in 1901, it developed extremely rapidly. The road is no longer a dedicated lane for carriages. In order to meet the needs of cars, the road has been continuously widened and extended to allow cars to drive calmly. In 1903, there were only 5 cars in Shanghai. In 1908, the number increased to 119, and in 1912, the number soared to 1,400. Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Chevrolet, Austin, etc., galloping on the streets of Shanghai, dazzled the originally slow-moving Shanghainese and felt the compelling atmosphere of modern civilization. In addition to foreign businessmen and expatriates, Shanghainese who are influenced by the western wind and like to be "model" have also become customers of cars one after another, especially in those aristocratic schools, such as St. John's University, Qiming, and Qingxin Girls' High School. Most of the students are from wealthy families, and each On weekends, there are so many cars at the school gate that there is nowhere to park, and patrols are always needed to direct traffic. Some people like to enjoy it, while others smell the business opportunities, and the taxi industry came into being. The 1920s and 1930s were the golden age of taxis in Shanghai. Among the middle and upper-class citizens of Shanghai, taking taxis became increasingly popular. Cars were used for weddings, greetings, business trips, and even movies and restaurants. . For wedding celebrations, Shanghainese who like western styles, after the 1920s and 1930s, the groom wore a long tuxedo and the bride wore a white wedding dress. With such an outfit, you would not take a rickshaw or a sedan chair. The best choice, of course. Will call for a car.
Zhou Xiangsheng, whose nickname is Axiang, is from Dinghai, Zhejiang. According to Zhou Xiangsheng's son, Mr. Zhou Huiding, when he was 13 years old, Zhou Xiangsheng came to Shanghai alone to make a living, first washing vegetables and doing odd jobs in a restaurant. Three years later, he worked as a waiter at the Licha Hotel (today's Pujiang Hotel) owned by foreigners. After the guests had had enough wine and food, they often asked him to call for a taxi in front of the hotel, so he had good relationships with taxi drivers and major car dealers. Very familiar. Moreover, I have been dealing with foreigners all day long, and I have learned a pidgin English. Although I was not born in a formal school, I am enough to deal with ordinary foreigners. Over a period of time, he worked hard and treated guests diligently. Not only did he win the favor of the hotel owner and guests, but he also saved a little money by frugally. At this time, although he wanted to start his own business, he was too short of money to support it. At this moment, as if God was helping him, Zhou Xiangsheng encountered two rickshaw drivers on the way home who had picked up a sum of rubles, and they couldn't argue with each other. Zhou Xiangsheng then stepped forward to make the decision, and the three of them shared it equally. Zhou Xiangsheng took the rubles to the bank and exchanged them for a sum of silver dollars, which was the basis for starting a business.
With the start-up capital, Zhou Xiangsheng started his own taxi business. He first took out a loan to buy an old car and started a job-selling business. At that time, taxis were not allowed to park on the side of the road to solicit customers. Violators would be fined. The so-called taxi business meant parking on the side of the road to solicit customers in violation of regulations. Soon, one of his cousins ??joined in and bought an old car to run the "Xiangsheng Car Dealer" with him. More and more people were using the cars, their business was booming, and the loans were paid off quickly.
The initial victory further inspired Zhou Xiangsheng’s entrepreneurial ambitions. He continued to purchase cars through installment loans in a snowballing manner, and continued to expand the scale of the car dealership. By 1929, Xiangsheng Car Dealer had 20 cars and two branches, and stood out in the Chinese car rental industry. In May 1930, the Shanghai Chinese Taxi Association was established, and 35-year-old Zhou Xiangsheng was elected as the president. Shanghai's taxi industry is mainly controlled by foreign businessmen, and Zhou Xiangsheng's strength cannot be underestimated. Therefore, the Huayang Taxi Federation also elected Zhou Xiangsheng as a director.
Compete with foreign car companies
The reputation of Xiangsheng Company has skyrocketed, and Zhou Xiangsheng has also become a leading figure in the Chinese taxi industry. Even if it competes with foreign companies, it still has certain competitiveness. . However, Zhou Xiangsheng was not satisfied and was determined to reach a higher level in terms of scale, management and vehicle facilities.
At that time, the American Yunfei Automobile Company was the leader in the rental industry and owned all Ford taxis. General Manager Galt is an American and is good at business management. The company started business with 14 second-hand Ford cars in 1921. At this time, it had grown to have more than 200 brand-new taxis and more than 600 employees. It was dominant for a while. The British business Tailai Automobile Company is also very powerful and should not be underestimated.
Zhou Xiangsheng has an open personality and a wide range of friends.
Based on a friend's advice, he was sure that the U.S. exchange rate would rise, so he made a prompt decision, raised funds, paid a 20% deposit first, and ordered 400 Chevrolet cars from General Motors, which was selling cars in Shanghai, in batches of 100 cars, divided into four parts. The batches are arriving one after another. Sure enough, by the time these brand-new Chevrolet cars arrived in Shanghai, their prices had doubled, making huge profits, and they made a fortune from it. In addition to keeping more than 200 vehicles for himself, Zhou Xiangsheng sold off all the other vehicles. With this one transaction, all the vehicles of Xiangsheng Automobile Company were almost in vain.
On New Year's Day in 1932, amid the crackling of firecrackers, Zhou Xiangsheng formally established Xiangsheng Taxi Co., Ltd., with the company's headquarters located at the intersection of Beijing Road and Tibet. One night, new Chevrolet cars all in lake green blew like a breeze through the streets and alleys of Shanghai. Xiangsheng's trademark and phone number are painted on the front, rear, left, right and roof of Xiangsheng's car, which is very eye-catching.
As soon as Xiangsheng Company was established, General Manager Zhou Xiangsheng set lofty goals, requiring the company to be "the largest in scale, with the most complete equipment, the most rigorous training, the most attentive waiters, the most vehicles, and the best bodywork." , the most extensive branch.”
Compared with the leading taxi company Yunfei Company, Xiangsheng's vehicles at this time were not only newer and better, but also began to surpass Yunfei in number, with a total of 270 vehicles. At that time, when it came to Xiangsheng, it could be said that it was a household name. Among the hundreds of taxi companies, Xiangsheng, Yunfei, Tailai and Silver Automobile Company are the most famous in Shanghai, but Xiangsheng is more popular and develops faster than them, ending the dominance of foreign car companies. situation in Shanghai.
The history of taxis in Shanghai is not long. In the beginning, they were mostly operated by foreign businessmen. Most of the passengers were expatriates, foreign businessmen or wealthy Chinese. They lived in the elegant and tree-lined West District of Shanghai. , so the early business scope of taxi companies was concentrated in the high-end residential areas of the West District. With the improvement of Shanghai's urban roads and the improvement of Shanghai people's quality of life, the number of cars has greatly increased, and Chinese have become the main passengers. Zhou Xiangsheng has a keen vision. , saw this change and development trend, and shifted the focus of business to the expanding urban area and the growing number of Chinese customers. In comparison, Yunfei Company has fewer stations, and its head office is located on Daxi Road (now Yan'an West Road), which is located in the west. The number of vehicles is not as large as that of Xiangsheng. The departure time of the vehicle is naturally longer than that of Xiangsheng, so it is competing with Xiangsheng. , gradually at a disadvantage.
Zhou Xiangsheng also put a lot of thought into setting up service stations. He took a bus to observe in the city to see where there was a large flow of customers. Finally, he set up 22 branches in the city, with the head office at No. 800 Beijing Road. , to control the city's vehicle operation status. In addition, there are more than 50 commissioned calling points. Once a customer calls to request a ride, the dispatcher immediately instructs the nearest branch to dispatch the ride, and the ride can usually arrive at the designated location within a few minutes.
The Legend of Telephone Number 40000
Speaking of calling a taxi, Xiangsheng’s telephone number 40000 is a classic legend of the business war in old Shanghai.
In the early days, taxis were expensive and had few customers. The police only designated a few waiting points in the city center, such as the Richard Hotel, Chinachem Hotel, Racecourse and other crowded places. place. The main way to hire a car is to make a reservation over the phone.
By the 1930s, with the development of the telecommunications industry, more and more people were equipped with telephones. Calling a taxi by phone was not only convenient, but also became fashionable. After the rich and free ladies finished playing mahjong, the next program was naturally to call a taxi to go shopping at the four major companies on Nanjing Road, so the taxi company's advertisement was drawn: a pretty woman with a smile on her face took a He was holding the phone receiver with a relaxed look, and a beautiful taxi had already driven into the garden. Such a comfortable life is so enchanting. On weekends, some vain female students go to the movies. If there is no car to pick them up, they will not take the rickshaw even if they have a rickshaw at home. They have to call a car rental agency to order a car.
The purpose of calling a taxi by phone is convenience and speed. The phone number is easy to remember and catchy. It has become a treasure trove of various companies and the only way to enter the market. Yunfei's phone number is 30189, which is homophonic to "a glass of wine at the end of the year."
The 30030 of the Silver Company is also simple and easy to remember.
The phone numbers of Xiangsheng Automobile at that time were: 40251 and 40253. Zhou Xiangsheng always felt that this was not ideal. In order to get a satisfactory phone number, he contacted the phone company many times and emphasized the business of Xiangsheng Automobile Company. , there was a 24-hour emergency patient service (there were no ambulances at the time), and a simple and easy-to-remember telephone number was greatly needed. Bick, the general manager of the telephone company, is a foreigner. Seeing his obsession with choosing a phone number, he joked with him that the telephone company would change the lines and give him the telephone company's own "40000" number. Zhou Xiangsheng knew that this number was used by the telephone company, but he deliberately faked it and immediately printed calendars and published advertisements in newspapers. As a result, Bic could not go back on his promise and the fake became real.
Zhou Xiangsheng spent ten gold bars (100 taels) to set up a telephone exchange switchboard at the Wuchang Road Telephone Company. Using the telephone company's lines, he could connect to Xiangsheng branches in the city and save a lot of line fees. Zhou Xiangsheng said: "We have 400 million compatriots in China, 400 million people. There is no 400 million phone number in Shanghai, only our 40,000 number. Therefore, our advertising slogan is: There are 40 million compatriots, dial the 40,000 phone number, and sit four The company's slogan for this purpose is: "Forty million compatriots, dial the number 40,000." This phone number not only was simple and easy to remember, but also because of its political significance, it immediately defeated its competitors. .
Zhou Xiangsheng is good at business management. In order to expand the influence of this phone number, he also worked hard on the details. At that time, it was customary for the telephone to be mounted on the wall. When it rang, you would pick up the receiver to talk. But the call was not for you, so you asked someone to answer it. At this time, the receiver had nowhere to put it, and it was often hung in the air, which was very inconvenient. Zhou Xiangsheng asked someone to design and produce a small and unique metal shelf with the red J mark and 40000 phone number of Xiangsheng Company printed on it. It was installed for free in restaurants, dance halls, cinemas and other busy places. When passengers make calls, they will You can see the phone number of Xiangsheng Company. If you want a car, of course you should call Xiangsheng.
Telephone number 40000 is not only a taxi-calling number in Xiangsheng Company. Zhou Xiangsheng also used this number to start an inquiry service for asking about the weather and train and ship departure times, which not only facilitates customers, but also makes it easier to use. Many inquirers took taxis to the stations and docks, thus increasing a lot of sales.
Genuine and excellent service
Zhou Xiangsheng not only has a keen vision, is shrewd and capable, and always seizes opportunities, but also places great emphasis on service first. He regards passengers as their basic necessities and makes every effort to facilitate them. , giving top priority to providing genuine and high-quality services at reasonable prices, gaining the trust of passengers and remaining invincible in the fierce market competition.
Zhou Xiangsheng stipulates that even if a passenger calls for a ride in the middle of the night, the ride must be dispatched promptly and the passenger must not be made to wait for too long. The passenger can also be woken up in advance at the request of the passenger. If a passenger comes to request a ride, the car must leave immediately without delay. No matter when and where, the driver should get out of the car to open the door for customers and help the elderly and infirm place their luggage. The service is friendly, natural and quick. Sometimes when Zhou Xiangsheng is present, he will personally greet the customers, place their luggage, open and close the car doors, and see them off respectfully, making the passengers feel cordial. Zhou Xiangsheng also sends people out for spot checks at any time to solicit opinions from the guests who get off Xiangsheng's cars. If a guest expresses dissatisfaction, the driver will not only apologize to the passenger on the spot, but will also be punished after returning to the company.
The rules and regulations of Xiangsheng Company are strict. All items left by passengers on the car must be handed over. Those who conceal and fail to report will be punished or even fired. Drivers who hand over valuable items can be rewarded. Therefore, Passengers feel a sense of security when riding in Xiangsheng's car. Occasionally, if something is forgotten in Xiangsheng's car, a phone call can solve the problem. Xiangsheng Company also publishes lost and found reports every once in a while, which gives the company a good reputation. Therefore, the Shanghai Railway Station only allows Xiangsheng cars to drive into the station to pick up passengers, and no other vehicles are allowed to enter.
In order to attract more passengers, Zhou Xiangsheng also pays great attention to market research and understands the needs of passengers, so as to provide various conveniences. When theaters, stadiums, dance halls, and nightclubs end, customers flock out and waste no time stopping at the door to wait for customers. It is always Xiangsheng's car.
As for the water and land transportation gates such as railway stations and docks, they are the must-visit places for Xiangsheng cars, and you can see them shuttling at any time.