THE city is mulling an amendment to interim measures for online car-hailing services to further regulate this field, according to information released by the city’s justice bureau.

The revision will strengthen protection of passengers’ personal information, prohibit fuel-powered cars from registering on car-hailing service platforms and raise the amount of the fines for irregular behaviors.

The online car-hailing service is a new business model born under the sharing economy. At present, there are nearly 40,000 cars providing legal car services through online car-hailing platforms, according to a report in the Southern Metropolis Daily.

The ban on fuel-powered cars is a response to the city’s 2018 sustainable growth action plan that urges forbidding fuel-powered cars from registering as online car-hailing service providers. The new rule only allows electricity-powered cars with a wheelbase longer than 2.65 meters to apply for the service, the report said.

In terms of data protection, the revised measures stipulate that cabbies providing online car services cannot distribute harmful information by taking advantage of online platforms or provide conveniences for enterprises, individuals or organizations to disseminate information with potential negative consequences.

Given the market disorder resulting from the illegal behavior of some online cabbies who directly solicit off-line customers in crowded areas, such as railway stations and the airport, the new regulation raises the standard fine for violations to as high as 2,000 yuan (US$298) based on the circumstances.

(Wang Jingli)