MANY people have raised questions concerning the transparency of the city’s first vehicle license plate auction, asking why the organizer didn’t disclose the number of applicants participating.

Only 30 percent of the license plates slated for individuals were sold, at an average price of 22,173 yuan (US$3,601), in the government-run online auction Tuesday. Among all the bidders, 12 won the license plates at the starting price of 10,000 yuan.

The authorities provided 4,445 license plates, including 533 for corporate applicants and 3,912 for individuals.

“Since the government didn’t reveal the number of bidders and the bidding prices during the bidding process, 70 percent of the license plates went unsold and the average bidding price ended up being much higher,” said a resident, surnamed Yu.

Unlike traditional auctions, where the number of bidders is transparent, this auction was conducted online. The organizer should disclose the number of participants in advance or show the number of people who have made bids during the auction, many Internet users argued.

Another resident, surnamed Peng, questioned the government’s decision not to announce the total number of bidders before the auction.

“If someone knew the number of bidders was less than the number of license plates being offered, they would have known that they could get a plate at the starting price,” said Peng.

Peng also said she wondered whether the 12 people who got license plates at the starting price were just lucky or if had inside information before the auction.

In response, Shenzhen United Property and Share Rights Exchange, the organizer, said Shenzhen’s practices followed the methods of other cities. However, Shanghai requires the authorities to reveal the number of bidders online or at the site of the auctions. Guangzhou, Tianjin and Hangzhou don’t reveal the number of bidders beforehand and only release it after the auctions are over. These practices have also drawn dissatisfaction from the public and bidders.

In Shenzhen, the organizer announced the average bidding price two times during the six-hour auction, which could easily mislead bidders to adjust their offering prices.

“The average price is misleading, as those who want to buy a license plate could increase their bidding price, causing a rise in the average price,” said a third resident, surnamed Jin, who participated in the auction.

A fourth resident, surnamed Shen, said the organizer should release a ranking of the bidders based on their bidding prices, so that those participating could adjust their bids according to the real-time situation.

A netizen identified as Zhou Liubao responded to Shen’s remarks, saying the type of bidding going on currently is like a man touching an elephant with a blindfold on.

“The bidders don’t know the whole situation or have any references. They don’t know how much they should pay for a plate,” said Zhou.

The auction earned the government 32.25 million yuan and residents have expressed hope that authorities will make public how the money will be used. (Han Ximin)