Shenzhen mulls overhaul of taxi industry after cabbies strike over pay and conditions
Drivers angry over 'high' fees imposed by cab companies and competition from unlicensed cars using mobile phone booking apps
The authorities in Shenzhen are considering changing the regulations governing the taxi industry, according to a newspaper report, after cab drivers in other cities in China went on strike last month over their pay and conditions.
Shenzhen’s transport committee is reviewing changing the rules, including the amount drivers have to pay taxi companies each month for the use of a cab, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
This was one of the key issues that led cab drivers around the country to strike last month, amid complaints over their falling income and competition faced from mobile phone apps that allow passengers to book unlicensed cars online.
Cabbies went on strike in Chengdu, Changchun, Jinan, Nanjing and Shenyang in January.
The strike in Shenyang, the capital of northeastern Liaoning province, lasted for several days, while the dispute in Nanjing escalated as some angry passengers attacked taxis and assaulted drivers, according to media reports.
The authorities in Shenzhen are considering linking the fees paid by taxi drivers to cab companies to “social and economic development status”, the newspaper said, without elaborating.