Beijing to legalize carpooling

The Beijing government is making new efforts to improve the city's traffic by legalizing car-pooling among private car owners, Chinanews.com reports.

Car-pooling can reduce the number of cars on the road by 10 to 25 per cent, effectively releasing the traffic pressure in Beijing, according to Wang Yong who initiated a "hitch-hiking scheme" which offers car services during rush hours.

Jia Xinguang, standing director of the China Automobile Dealers Association says it also lays down problems and challenges for Beijing, such as passenger safety and differentiating between legal and illegal private cars.

Only directions for car-pooling are available at the moment. More details and guidelines are expected to be released by the end of the year.