MANY local residents complained that it has gotten harder to hail an app-based cab as the Spring Festival holiday approaches.

    Some app-based cab operators adopted a flexible fare mechanism for charging riders, and some drivers have started to be choosy with passengers and even reject rides.

    A driver, surnamed Zou, who is also an employee working in the city’s financial industry, registered as a Didi driver in March as a way to expand his customer groups. Zou usually drove on the weekends and could earn about 4,000 yuan (US$582) by driving 10 hours a day.

    “The threshold for being an app-based cab driver became higher and subsidies from operators were dropped, so many of my friends have quit the job,” Zou said.

    A frequent Didi rider, surnamed Li, who lives in Bagualing, Futian District, complained that it took more time to wait for a Didi car. Li would often use Didi for her commute and found the fare had recently been increasing compared to traditional cabs.

    Didi company used to frequently give out some coupons to riders, but now it seldom does this.

    The reduction of vehicles on roads is one major reason for the difficulty in hailing a cab, as many drivers have left the city for holidays. The new regulations, which were unveiled in December, also forced some drivers to exit the market and lowered the number of vehicles in the market.

    (Han Ximin)