Taxi app rules met with skepticism

Residents remain skeptical about the new regulations for taxi hailing apps that the local transportation authority announced Wednesday.

The Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority will ban taxi drivers from using the apps, which allow residents with smartphones to book and summon taxis to a specific location, during rush hours, according to the authority's website. The regulations take effect Saturday.

"The regulations will not affect my business because I book most of my fares with the app when it isn't rush hour," said a driver surnamed Lu who works for Dazhong Taxi Co.

Still, it will be difficult to enforce the regulations because it is impractical to keep an eye on every driver, Lu said.

The regulations also aim to fight the unfairness caused by the apps, which allow passengers to tip drivers. The apps also don't do a good enough job ensuring that the drivers who use them have the proper qualifications.

It will be difficult for drivers to comply with the regulations due to the considerable incentives offered by app developers, said a taxi driver surnamed Zhang. Zhang told the Global Times that he does not use taxi hailing apps, but one of his colleagues makes an extra 100 yuan ($16.32) a day with them.

Many people have been complaining that they have frequently been passed by empty taxis presumably on their way to pick up app customers, said You Minjian, a member of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The regulations forbid taxi drivers from ignoring roadside customers if their taxi shows a green light, meaning it is available.

The regulation will work only if all drivers obey the rules, a resident surnamed Yang told the Global Times.

The transportation authority plans to enlist the dispatch center of Qiangsheng Taxi Co on March 10 to supervise cab drivers who use the popular Didi and Kuaidi taxi hailing apps. The three other major taxi companies, Dazhong, Jinjiang and Haibo will be enlisted at the end of March, the local government said Thursday on its microblog.

You advised the government to set up a united taxi dispatch center that includes all of the taxi companies and apps to better supervise the industry.