A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse," said Richard III in the famous Shake-speare play that bore his name.

Quite what Richard would have said if he ever found himself wandering the streets of Shanghai is a matter of speculation. But it.s a fair bet that he might have repeated his Shakespearian cry for a four-legged beast if he ever tried to get an all-too-rare empty taxi during the city.s notori-ous rush hour.

Picture this scene. Joe Schmoe businessman must meet an associate on the other side of the city for a business lunch, which might just see him close the deal. But he.s overrun a previous appointment and he.s cutting it .ne, time-wise. Sweltering in his business attire in the Shanghai summer heat, there are plenty of cabs around. The first few are occupied, but no problem, he.s not worried. He.s left himself plenty of time, and after all, whoever heard of someone standing in the middle of a metropolis, missing a meeting because they couldn't and a cab? How absurd . that could never happen, he assures himself.

But having watched taxi after taxi ferry pas-sengers right in front of his nose, he begins to wonder and nervously scan the horizon. He excit-edly spots a taxi approaching with a vacant front seat. At last! An empty cab is coming his way. But he.s standing in the tree-lined streets of the French Concession, and leafy overhangs make it too dark to see the pair of tourists huddled in the back seat. He.s left standing like a fool on the footpath, waving his hand in the air as the object of his desire roars past and puffs exhaust fumes in his face.

The futile search

Now the traffic has backed up and an empty cab has stopped right in front of him. Thank goodness! He might just make it to that meeting, he thinks to himself with a wave of relief as he reaches towards the passenger doors and... drats! The driver has other ideas. As he bends down to glance through the window for a sign of consent, a white-gloved hand waves apologetically, and the taxi driver shakes his head, driving off as the light turns green. Must be off to make a pre-arranged pick-up. Or maybe Mother Nature calls? Cursing his luck, Joe Schmoe crosses the road in an effort to .nd a better spot, only to see an empty taxi pull up at the place where he was just standing a minute ago. Wiping beads of sweat from his brow, Shmoe looks on helplessly as an elderly couple climbs aboard.

Time is ticking oncand by now he.s already late. His heart beats wildly with anxiety and he feels his blood pressure jump up a few, or twenty, points. What will he tell his boss? As he lets out a sigh of defeat, he spots a garbage truck . complete with a shirtless worker riding on the back . and he notices there.s room for one more. Well, it.s not exactly as regal as Richard.s horse, but it.ll do.

Now, how do you say in Chinese, .Are you guys going anywhere near the JW Marriot?