A taxi driver was stabbed during a robbery early yesterday morning, the latest in a string of violent attacks on cabbies in the city.

Ding Shenghong, 48, was stabbed in the stomach during the robbery on Zhennan Road in Putuo District at around 2:15am.

He was taken to Tongji Hospital and underwent emergency surgery yesterday morning.

"He is out of danger now," said a doctor surnamed Rao.

Police officials refused to discuss the robbery yesterday, and wouldn't say if they have taken any suspects into custody.

A woman who answered the phone at the cab firm Ding works for, Shanghai NGS Taxi Company, said managers were busy dealing with the robbery and wouldn't comment on it, but they are expected to release more information today.

Crimes against taxi drivers are becoming more common in the city.

Last month a taxi driver was found murdered in his car, which was parked along a remote path in Jiading District.

Earlier this month, four robbers hiding at an intersection in Hongkou District attacked a cabbie when he got out of his car to check a flat tire. They assaulted the victim and snatched his bag from the vehicle. Only one of the four suspects has been captured so far.

Taxi companies in the city are taking various steps to ensure the safety of their employees.

Ling Dongshu with Shanghai Dazhong Taxi Company, said their measures included improving communication equipment in cabs and providing drivers with more safety training. "We not only installed GPS devices in every cab, but also worked out a plan of action in case of an emergency," Ling said.

He said the best way to reduce violence against cabbies is to teach the drivers to be more conscious of their own security.

"Drivers must be vigilant if passengers ask to go to a remote destination or don't know where they want to go.''

If a driver becomes suspicious of a passenger, he should stop the car in a populated area and settle the account immediately.

Some experienced cabbies say they can tell which passengers are trouble. "Once I picked up four guys who acted strange during the ride," said Chen Weimin. "I asked them to get out half way to the destination by telling them the car had broken down."

(Shanghai Daily June 24, 2005)