Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN transport commission announced new rules regulating personal cars engaged in app-based cab service yesterday, which reduced engine requirements and extended the grace period for unqualified in-service vehicles from two to three years.

    The new rules, modified from a draft released in October to solicit public opinion, took effect immediately.

    The rules set different standards for cars that have been registered for app-based cab service and those yet to be registered.

    For the former, gasoline-powered vehicles must at least have an engine displacement of 1,580 milliliters and a 2,650-millimeter wheelbase, and hybrid vehicles should be able to go 50 kilometers on battery power. Drivers whose vehicles meet the requirements can apply for a license that is valid for three years within 180 days.

    The engine requirements are higher for newcoming vehicles. Qualified gasoline-powered vehicles must boast a wheelbase of at least 2,700 millimeters and an engine displacement of 1,750 milliliters while electricity-powered vehicles must have a 2,650-millimeter wheelbase. The wheelbase of hybrid vehicles must be more than 2,700 millimeters.

    App-based taxi drivers must possess Shenzhen hukou or residency cards, have three years of driving experience, and pass qualification tests before they can provide service. Their cars should be produced within two years of the date when they register to engage in app-based cab services, according to the rules.

    To promote the use of electrical vehicles, all the cabs, either traditional or app-based, will be replaced by fully electric vehicles by the end of 2020.

    In a response yesterday, Didi Chuxing, the largest app-based vehicle service in the world, praised the rules for being more reasonable than the stricter draft.

    Yet a citizen named Zhang Minhua thought the grace period for app-based cab service was meaningless.

    “Service providers don’t need two or three years to replace vehicles with higher standards,” said Zhang at a hearing last month. He added that if vehicles were forced to exit the market due to not meeting the standards, the drivers might engage in illegal cab services.

    However, the transport commission disagreed, saying it is good for the industry’s development.