A CAR license plate rental industry chain has emerged in response to demand among the increasing number of people awaiting local license plates and the recently released rules that restrict vehicles with nonlocal license plates and ban those that do not meet the national VI emissions standard from getting a Shenzhen license plate, the Shenzhen Evening News reported Monday. A resident surnamed Lin said she had purchased a vehicle with a nonlocal license plate after the city introduced the rules limiting the annual number of cars that are allowed to register in the city. She had planned to register her car with a Shenzhen license plate as soon as she got one through the lottery. However, the new policy has left her very perplexed, as her car only meets the national V emissions standard. Under the new rules, if Lin cannot get a local license plate through the lottery by the end of the year, her car will never be able to be registered with a Shenzhen license plate. “I saw on the Internet that you can rent a Shenzhen license plate before getting your own a local license plate. But I’m not sure if it’s legal,” Lin told a reporter from the newspaper. The News said the license plate rental industry has already taken shape. According to the head of a car rental agency in Nanshan District, if one wants to get a Shenzhen license plate without going through lottery, it can be rented. A one-year lease generally costs 1,500 yuan (US$215) per month, or 18,000 yuan for a year. The head of the agency also said the renter and the lessor will sign a lease contract, which will designate the responsibilities of both parties and specify the actual owner and user of the license plate. A staffer with the city’s transport authority said renting or borrowing a license plate is illegal. The act of renting or borrowing a license plate poses great legal risks to both the renter and the lessor and can trigger unnecessary disputes and losses, said the staffer. (Zhang Yu) |