TO prevent fraud in the driver training industry, Shenzhen adopted a third-party supervision system in 2017 to collect training fees and pay training centers after trainees have finished the training.

The system has been working efficiently to reduce the number of complaints, according to a recent review by the transport authority, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

The third-party supervision system, initiated and guided by the authority, was launched for a trial operation in July last year and fully adopted in the driver training industry citywide Nov. 24.

The transport authority’s report showed that in the first six months of 2017 the number of complaints against driver training centers dropped by 18 percent year on year.

Data shows that Shenzhen has an average of more than 300,000 people who sign up for driver training each year. For many years, the for-profit business required trainees to pay before they started to learn driving.

Some driver training centers would rake in a large amount of money in the beginning of the year and then put it into risky investments, which would sometimes lead them to terminate training courses before the trainees could finish.

Since the third-party supervision system was initiated, 39 driver training centers have joined, allowing trainees to choose their preferred payment method, including paying after their training is complete.

Under the system, learners can choose between training centers like items at an online store before paying. In cases when a trainee gives up on their training, the system will refund the trainee according to the contract they signed. (Zhang Qian)