Stricter ride-hailing laws restrict driver eligibility

A driver uses a car-hailing app on his smartphone. [Photo/China Daily]

Transport authorities in Beijing and Shanghai introduced draconian rules on car-hailing services in December, demanding that drivers from car-hailing platforms such as Didi Chuxing have local household registration, vehicles have local license plates and meet a minimum size requirement, essentially disqualifying all compact cars. An official from the Beijing transport authorities said the standards, which are higher than those for taxis, are designed to differentiate the services.