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Q: Do you like to chat with local cab driver?
As far as I know, Beijing has perhaps the most chatty cab drivers among the country. I met a few cabbies who were really talktive and constantly asking funny/weird questions about foreigners. Do you like to chat with them?
Actually I've had some of my best conversations with cabbies, my Chinese is still limited but they seem to have more experience with chatting to foreigners in Chinese and are more willing to dumb down and simplify rather than rattle away like it's my first language.
Lord_hanson:
agreed, they realise that sometimes when you don't understand something simply rephrasing the sentence can solve the problem.
Taxi drivers drive like crazy in China. I can not imagine how many tickets they would get if they are driving in the US.
onceaknight:
The question posed was with regards to chatting with local cab drivers, not their driving standards or how many laws they break. When we get into a cab in China most know what to expect. Personally I do not converse with drivers, I'm too busy enjoying the roller coaster ride.
October1st:
taxi, truck, and bus are called "3 road killers" in China.
But one thing good about cab drivers is that most of them can follow traffic rules better than the private car drivers, e.g. they slow down and stop before the pedestrian zebra lines more than the private car drivers.
Guangzhou cabbies can also be very chatty! I've had impromptu Cantonese lessons & some great, though simple, conversations (my Chinese is okay but not full conversational level).
I've also had a few taxi drivers who were straight off the train from other areas & didn't know Guangzhou so I've had to give them directions, especially to obscure bars. Had one guy who's moved to GZ from Shanxi two weeks earlier, had a GPS in the car but didn't understand my pronunciation of the road...so I directed him......and as we're driving through the centre of Zhujiang Newtown (the CBD) is looking at all the lit-up modern buildings in awe and exclaiming "ooh, ze li shi hen piao lian"!
Good question! I am Chinese native and I love chatting with cab drivers. Actually, I almost use every chance while taking a cab just to chat with them because they are witnesses of the news; they are running on the road all over the city and they see, they listen from the onsite while many of us work with computers and we are passively receiving what happens in the world.
When you want to know some inside stories like current political, ask them and listen to what they say. Most of them would give out something new to you (if you are not that serious passenger!). Just act friendly.
Not all cab drivers like talking but I really enjoy talking with them.
aprilg:
That's right, they're very keen on talking politics. I even think they can have their own talk show or something.
I used to try to talk to taxi drivers to practice my Mandarin but I stopped. I got tired of having the same conversation over and over again where they would ask me about how long I've been in China, what I do in China and how much money I make. Though I've met some pretty cool ones too. I guess I've become grouchy the longer I've been in China.
I like talking with the cab driver when I am in the bad mood.
Give all those unhappy rubbish to them and get myself feel better.I have to say sorry indeed.
I like to talk to taxi drivers especially when I come to the another city/new environment. I find them a great source of information as October1st mentioned above and they already helped me a lot many times (however you shall always consider the cultural differences when you, for instance, ask them where is the best food in the town - it can be great food from the local person perspective but you may still leave hungry as it may not fit your taste 
)
I also agree with mArtiAn that taxi drivers are (mosty) more used to talk to foreigners and therefore usually the conversation with them is kind of 'easier' if you are not already absolutelly fluent in Mandarin. I also belive that it's a good way to spend, usually boring, time in the taxi and on top of that you may practise your Mandarin. But practising of Mandaring has certain drawback as dongbeiren pointed out - if your level is above basic but not yet conversational level so you most probably end up with the same questions and answers all the time what most probably becomes quite boring. But this has easy way out - just learn more hard - then you can drive the conversation on your own.
Beijing taxi drivers are funny. They love to chat and if they're in a good possibly even sing. These days they like when I can give them directions.
