Beijing traffic and public security authorities on Tuesday has questioned the platform operator of popular taxi-booking Didi Zhuanche service for its suspected use of illegal private cars and drivers not affiliated with car-rental companies.
According to the Beijing transportation bureau, transport law enforcement team and the traffic inspection team of the public security bureau, 963 illegal taxis have been investigated this year and 207 of them were operating on Didi Zhuanche, with 161 breaching the regulation by using private cars to provide car-booking services.
In January, the Ministry of Transport ordered app developers to exclude private cars from their platforms and ensure that all vehicles are owned by taxi or car rental companies to ensure passenger safety.
Except for the use of private cars, Didi Zhuanche was also cited for failing to let drivers from car rental companies drive the rented cars, which violated Beijing's taxi management regulations.
The authorities said that innovative car-hailing services are encouraged in Beijing to meet market demand, but they should be protected by cracking down on illegal operations, Beijing-based The Mirror newspaper reported.
The operator of Didi Zhuanche said that the company would tackle the problem and further cooperate with the government.
A data monitoring platform consisting of information of vehicles, personnel and orders will be established and linked with the public platform, the operator said, The Mirror reported.
