(ECNS) -- An official from the Ministry of Transportation said non-profitable ride-sharing services such as carpooling and free rides will be encouraged in future, Cnr.cn reported Thursday.
The point was made recently by Liu Xiaoming, director of the ministry's Transportation Service Department, when commenting on a much-debated draft regulation targeting China's taxi and ride-on-demand sectors.
Liu said the key is to clarify the attribution of non-taxi ride providers. For-profit drivers should be regulated similarly as full-time cabbies, while non-profitable ride share should be encouraged under certain guidelines.
He recognized the car-hailing platform role in improving customer experience, boosting efficiency and forcing taxi drivers to improve their services.
Future guidelines will draw a clear line between the old and new business and make seperate rules on their service types, vehicle standards, prices and service quality, it was added.
