Beijing Says Goodbye to Minibus Taxi

　　Beijing's yellow minibus taxis, guaranteed to give a low-cost, bumpy ride and blamed for defiling the capital city's image, made their final exits this month after 11 years on the city streets.

　　The minibus taxi, or "miandi" in Chinese, appeared here in 1988 and instantly helped ease traffic congestion as commuters clumped together for rides.

　　By 1993, there were 350,000 of the vehicles in Beijing, sources from the local taxi administration said. Miandi accounted for 51 percent of the city's taxis, daily forming a choppy yellow sea as they chugged down the roads.

　　Despite its advantages, the minibus was proved to be relatively unsafe and emitted high levels of exhaust. Choosy travelers were turned off by its lack of air conditioning.

　　Before China's 50th anniversary celebration on October 1, Beijing authorities replaced all the minibus taxis with new cars to lessen air pollution in the city. (Xinhua)