Shanghai toughens rules in license plate auctions

Starting from July, only holders of valid driving licenses may bid for vehicle license plates in Shanghai, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In addition, anyone who has successfully bid for a license plate may not be bid for another for three years.

The new rules aim to further improve management of the public auction for the city's vehicle license plates, according to a statement released on the official website of the municipal government.

The new rules were introduced after more than 135,000 people bid in the public auction for license plates in June. The figure, which was a record for the city, was three times more than that recorded in January.

The success rate of license plate bids in Shanghai reached a low of 5.4 percent in June.