A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 112 Yangtze River Rental
On Fuzhou Road, the "Yangtze River Taxi" was officially announced and an opening ceremony was held. Chen Guangliang also invited many friends to come and support it.

The telephone number of Changjiang Taxi is '30098', which is easy to remember.

Installing a telephone was relatively expensive in that era. The '30098' of Yangtze River Taxi was first a 'Type A telephone' with an annual fee of 100 yuan; then if you made less than 700 calls a day, you would be charged 0.025 yuan each time.

This was the condition that was reached after the General Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the British telephone company "Huayang Telephone Company" competed for more than half a year from 1924 to 1925.

Changjiang Taxi has a staff of just over 20, including 10 drivers and 10 telephone operators and support staff. Chen Guangliang also promoted Liang Mengqi, a clerk at Changjiang Real Estate, to the position of manager of the taxi company. He will work under the dual leadership of Chen Guangliang and He Xiangdong.

There are five vehicles and ten drivers. This is because Changjiang Taxi operates 24 hours a day, with one shift lasting 12 hours and night shifts taking turns.

All five cars have been modified. A "waistline" has been painted blue on the body with "Changjiang Taxi, Tel: 30098" written in white letters on it. There is also a "billboard" installed on the roof - if you want to use a car, contact Changjiang Taxi, Tel: 30098.

The ten taxi drivers were all dressed in formal attire and white gloves, and had also undergone a week of training.

Everything is ready, ready to start formal operation!
However, at the beginning, Changjiang Taxi received very few phone reservations, as it was not well-known. Therefore, Changjiang Taxi hired five assistants and initially planned to operate a "half-employment, half-rental" business.

For example, Changjiang Taxi can park a car near the train station, and the assistants will go to the vicinity of the station to solicit passengers and then invite them into the taxi.

Methods like this can help you overcome some initial difficulties.

Of course, Changjiang Taxi also places advertisements in newspapers to increase its visibility.

In addition, once the operation of Yangtze River Taxi is on track, new vehicles can be purchased. After all, the initial budget was 2 yuan, and the current vehicle payment is in installments.

Even if I don't pay in installments, after adding the store rental, telephone charges, etc., there will still be about 5,000 yuan in remaining funds.

"Boss Chen, congratulations. Now, as long as there is a business with wheels, you can have a share!" Zhu Wenwu came with his younger brother Zhu Wenzhi to congratulate.

What he meant was that Chen Guangliang now had bicycles - shares in the Tongchang Bicycle Manufacturing Plant, a rickshaw business, and a taxi business, which suddenly allowed him to gather all the wheeled businesses that a Chinese businessman could do.

Chen Guangliang bowed and responded, "It's just a small fight, just trying it out!"

This is both modest and true.

In the rickshaw business, he only managed to build a medium-sized company, and was only ranked among the top ten in the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The taxi business nowadays consists of only five vehicles.

At the time, the largest taxi company in Shanghai was the American-owned Yunfei. Yunfei was the most powerful in Shanghai's taxi industry, boasting a fleet of over 150 vehicles and employing over 450 people. All 150 of Yunfei's vehicles were brand-new Fords. Its general manager, American-born Gault, excelled in management, maintaining a well-organized operation. Because taxis were reserved by phone, Yunfei's reservation number, 30189, which sounded like "year-old wine" (meaning "year-old comes with a glass of wine"), was easy to remember and, for a time, dominated the Shanghai taxi industry.

In addition, the British Tailai Automobile Company is also very strong.

Among Chinese companies, Yinfei Taxi, established this year, boasts a fleet of over 20 taxis. They prioritize corporate image building. To attract attention and create advertising, they paint their taxis entirely silver, with a red stripe running down the middle, creating a striking and eye-catching appearance. The company also uses a speeding taxi as its logo, symbolizing its fast arrival and prompt service. Yinfei's reservation number is "30030," which is also very memorable.

As for Xiangsheng, a Chinese-owned company, it has about 20 taxis this year and may only rank fourth.

There are a total of 500 taxis in Shanghai, and among the 46 taxi companies, Changjiang Taxi is just a "newcomer".

After the excitement, with Chen Guangliang's order, two of the five taxis were immediately sent to the Zhabei Railway Station and Racecourse area, while the remaining three taxis stayed at the base.

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang gave instructions to He Xiangdong and Liang Mengqi in the taxi office.

"From now on, I will take time every week to train taxi drivers, assistants, and telephone operators to improve our professional standards. You should also take notes. When the company expands its operations in the future, you will be responsible for training."

Chen Guangliang also attaches great importance to corporate culture. Although there are only five cars at present, everything must start from small things and details.

"Also, Xiangdong's main job is the Changjiang Car Dealership, but he also has to take care of Changjiang Taxi. Mengqi is not very familiar with this industry yet, so he needs to learn more."

This is a division of labor between the two of them!
Now, Chen Guangliang promoted Pan Cheng, the person in charge of Fangua Lane, to be in charge of the head office; in addition, Changjiang Car Dealership is also equipped with a "full-time financial officer".

In this way, He Xiangdong can assist Chen Guangliang in managing the entire Changjiang Car Dealership (including its subsidiary Changjiang Taxi).

Next.

He Xiangdong asked, "After the taxi operation is back on track, will the funds in the account continue to be used to purchase used taxis for new operations?"

Five cars need to be equipped with a store and a telephone, which is quite expensive.

Chen Guangliang said: "There is no rush to expand. The key is that we need to gain enough experience, so it is too early to say anything about that now."

It’s not about not expanding, but about not expanding blindly.

He Xiangdong quickly said: "Okay"

He also thought that the boss was doing everything he could to develop quickly, just like when he first started running a rickshaw business.

But he didn't expect that when it comes to the taxi industry, Chen Guangliang values ​​experience, service level and other aspects more.

After these are in place, he will consider expansion, and in the next year and a half, he will not consider adding new investments, that is, the initial 20,000 yuan of funds, plus the funds earned from operations, or if there is a company willing to accept the car payment in installments.

Zhabei Railway Station.

Zhang Erhe, an assistant of Changjiang Taxi, is soliciting business: "Sir, you want to take a taxi? It can go directly to all parts of the city. The taxi is right outside. It is convenient, fast, and cool without being exposed to the sun." Zhabei Railway Station is a transportation fortress. Changjiang Taxi has extended its tentacles here this year. At first, it was rickshaws, and now it is taxis. They all regard this place as a development base.

Of course, Zhabei is Gu Zhuxuan’s home base after all, and Changjiang Car Dealership is just getting a small share.

"how much is it?"

"We charge by the hour, 4 yuan per hour, plus a 10% tip. Changjiang Rentals has clear pricing, and we're honest."

A man with his wife and two children chose a taxi without much hesitation.

It's very simple. If it's a rickshaw, you have to ride separately.

In this way, Changjiang Taxi’s first business was born. Under the leadership of Zhang Erhe, a family of four soon got on a Changjiang taxi outside.

When the driver Wang Yongda saw that a customer came, he took the initiative to get out of the car to open the door for the customer, providing a very warm service.

There's no way, this is how the company trains us.

Wang Yongda used to be a taxi driver. After being recruited by Changjiang Taxi, his salary model changed a bit. First, he had a basic salary of 25 yuan, and then a 10% tip.

In this way, even if he only runs for 12 hours out of a 4-hour shift, he can still earn 73 yuan a month. In addition, the company also provides full attendance bonuses, year-end bonuses, and various other benefits, provided that he abides by the company's rules and regulations.

"Sir, is this your first time in Shanghai?"

The guest not only brought his family with him, but also brought two suitcases. It was obvious that he was coming to settle in Shanghai.

"Yes, there are constant wars in the north, so I plan to settle here."

"I can tell you're a well-educated and well-mannered person. You've made the right choice by coming to Shanghai. The economic and cultural environment here is much better than in the north."

The man smiled and said, "I didn't expect that the taxi drivers in Shanghai are so friendly and helpful."

“Thank you for the compliment, sir.”

While waiting for the police traffic signal, Wang Yongda handed over his business card.

"Sir, this is our company's business card. Please use this number to contact us when you need a taxi next time!"

"it is good"

The man was thinking, I haven't found a way to make a living yet, how can I afford to take such an expensive taxi? If I didn't have a family to support today, I wouldn't be willing to spend these few dollars, and taking a rickshaw would be much cheaper.

It is indeed expensive. A rickshaw costs only 4.4 cents an hour, while a taxi costs yuan an hour.

But the service quality of Changjiang Taxi really made the men feel that they had felt the first ray of sunshine in Shanghai, a place they were unfamiliar with.

There was a call for a taxi over the phone, and the operator at Changjiang Car Dealership immediately passed it on to the dispatcher. Then the base's car drove to the destination, which was a wealthy family.

Chen Guangliang looked at this pattern and found something fishy.

In this era, calls still need to be "manually transferred". If you bribe an operator, wouldn't the taxi call become a means of stealing business?
For example, if someone calls Yinfei Company, they just need to bribe the operator responsible for Yinfei Company's calls, and then run to pick up the customer as soon as they receive the notification; then, when Yinfei Company arrives, the customer has already been picked up.

This is a BUG. Of course, this is not the time for Chen Guangliang to think more about it. After all, he must first accumulate enough experience.

After spending a day at the Yangtze River Rental Head Office, Chen Guangliang was sure that business was good and at least there was profit, so he felt relieved.

At the beginning, he did not dare to place a large advertisement, so he spent 60 dollars to place an advertisement in a newspaper for three days to announce the establishment of the company.

I will definitely continue to purchase taxis in the future, but it is not so urgent. I will operate it for a while first.

"Boss, do you want me to arrange a car for you?" Liang Mengqi asked when he saw that his boss was about to go home.

One of his strengths is his foresight.

Chen Guangliang also took a fancy to Liang Mengqi's "ambition" and promoted him from a clerk to work in the taxi company.

"No, I'll take a rickshaw. Business looks good today. What if there aren't enough rickshaws?"

Liang Mengqi wisely said, "Business is indeed good. The two taxis at Zhabei Railway Station and the Racecourse are also performing well. Next, we'll have to wait and see how the three days of advertising go. But I don't think there will be any problems. The prospects for the taxi industry are still very good."

"Well, so you have to improve your company's culture and service level. When I plan to invest heavily in the future, I need to have a strong team."

"clear"

Chen Guangliang then got up and left the company. If the car dealership business was good, he could use 5000 yuan to buy a used car.

But having said that, it is not a good idea to keep buying used cars. You still have to buy new cars in the future.

(End of this chapter)