Beijing issued Monday its first licenses for car-hailing app drivers, shortly after the country legalized these services and left it to local governments to define who is eligible to be such a driver.
The first license was given to Meng Tao, a Beijing resident who has had a driving license for nearly 20 years, local newspaper The Mirror reported.
The paper's report said that nearly 20,000 people have applied for the new licenses and over 1,200 drivers have already passed the mandatory exam.
Drivers who have taken the exam include traditional taxi drivers and those who simply have a driving license.
Beijing and Shanghai published detailed rules for online car-booking apps in December 2016, requiring private car drivers who offer this service to have city household registrations and local license plates.
The rules mean the majority of drivers and vehicles currently offering such services in the cities will become ineligible.
China's largest online car-hailing platform Didi Chuxing said it is encouraged by the clarification of ride-sharing rules published by the country's two biggest cities.
Compared with the first proposed drafts, these rules are a significant step toward a more sensible and liberal framework, reflecting input from the public consultation period, the company said in December 2016.
Officials from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (BMCT) have said the capital city designed the policy based on its reality of 21.7 million residents facing regular traffic congestion and environmental problems.
Efficient public transportation should leave online hailing as a minor commuting method, said Zhou Zhengyu, director of BMCT.
