Guangzhou loses 100,000 drivers as China’s Didi Kuaidi, Uber and rival car-hailing apps pressured to ditch non-local plates
Local authorities claim drivers have been heading to other cities to skirt a quota on newly issued registration plates, which has added to inner-city congestion
Ride-hailing apps in China like market leader Didi Kuaidi and San Francisco-based Uber have cancelled over 100,000 driver accounts in Guangzhou over the last month due to pressure from local authorities over those operating with non-local licence plates, among other issues, reports claim.
The sprawling metropolis in southern China’s Guangdong province is known to rank among most of the apps’ top-three busiest cities.
Guangzhou’s Transportation Committee said Tuesday it summoned representatives of the six main apps – also including China’s Ucar, Yidao Yongche, aayongche and ihavecar – to meetings on December 16, January 7 and this Monday, the government-run Nanfang Daily reported.
During the meetings, those in attendance were ordered to dismiss any drivers who did not conform to recently issued regulations for ride-sharing apps, the paper added.
The report stated that over 100,000 driver accounts had thus been disqualified from the industry since December.