1,400 govt cars to be sold in Wenzhou reform

A reform of the use of government cars was formally launched in Wenzhou, a wealthy city in East China's Zhejiang province, which will result in auctioning off about 1,400 cars, 66wz.cn, a local news website, reported Friday.

According to the plan, roughly 1,790 government cars owned by 106 administrative organs and 207 public institutions are involved in the reform, which started on April 12.

Among them, more than 300 cars used by top officials and for law enforcement work and other public service will be kept, with the remaining cars – about 1,400 -- to be sold at auction.

To the personnel affected by the reform, city government will take measures to make up for the loss of government cars. Those working in urban areas will get subsidies ranging from 400 yuan ($63) to 2,800 ($444) yuan a month. For those working in the outskirts, top county-level officials can apply to rent cars during the week and the others can be subsidized for their traffic expenses.

Public security departments, courts, national security departments, schools and hospitals, among others, are excluded from the reform.

The reform is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.