Taxi Apps are Back (and Legal) in Beijing

Changes are afoot in Beijing’s taxi industry: Penn Olson reports that after ham-handedly banning taxi apps back in June and coming out with their own “ridiculously flawed” version, city authorities have now officially approved four taxi apps for operation in Beijing.

According to the article the four sanctioned apps – Didi Dache, Yida Dache, Yibu Jiaoche, and Yaoyao Zhaoche – are now controlled via the 96106 website and have had their names adjusted to include “96106″ as a prefix (i.e. “96106 Didi”).

These apps are currently only available for Android users, but iOS versions should be “coming soon.”

City authorities have also announced a “tough new” grading scale for Beijing cab companies, according to the Beijing Times via the China Daily:

"… taxi companies in the capital will be graded on 16 criteria, including the turnout rate of their taxis, traffic violation rates and the use of phone and mobile hailing systems … those who fail the test three years in a row will have their operating licenses withdrawn."

Meanwhile a training program has also been instigated to help drivers better understand “standard procedures, updated measures and policies on the taxi industry as well as professional ethics and etiquette.”

Keep reading on agendabeijing.com