Ride Hailing Apps Like Uber and Didi Dache to Become Legal Nov 1

Ride hailing apps like Uber and Didi Chuxing will soon be legal in China, according to a document made public on Thursday.

The notice, addressed to a number of the country's regulatory administrations, states:

"The Interim Procedure of Online Taxi Reservation Service" has been adopted at the 15th ministerial meetings of Ministry of Transport on July 14, 2016. Approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Commerce, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, General Administration of Quality Supervision, and Inspection and Quarantine and Cyberspace Administration, the procedure is announced in advance, and will be implemented on November 1."

The new rules, which will take effect on November 1, come with a few stipulations – some of which are good, some not so much.

On the positive side, the rules require that drivers have a minimum of three years of experience behind the wheel.

RELATED: Towards a Rational Uber Driver Star Rating System in Beijing

But on the not-so-positive side, the new rules also prohibit ride-sharing apps from offering services at below cost. Which means the days of super cheap fares are probably over.

Also, user information and data collected by the apps must be stored within China's borders for at least two years.

Photos: Twitter, globalnoticias.pt