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)