Drug users, convicts among car app drivers
Print Edition
FIVE ride-hailing platforms in China, including Didi Kuaidi and Uber, have been called in by authorities in the southern city of Shenzhen over the lax process of screening drivers, Xinhua news agency reported.
Some drivers were found to have committed various traffic violations and used licence plates from outside their jurisdiction to do business, Xinhua said late on Wednesday, citing findings from the Shenzhen transportation committee.
Other problems with the ride-hailing companies included untimely handling of passenger complaints and the obstruction of fair competition, according to the committee.
China is drawing up rules to regulate the booming ride-hailing industry, dominated by Didi Kuaidi and where US firm Uber Technologies Inc has also expanded rapidly.
The authorities and the traditional taxi industry have at times clashed with companies allowing people to provide unlicensed transport services.
Xinhua reported that inspections carried out by Shenzhen’s public security bureau also found some of the drivers working for ride-hailing firms had taken drugs in the past, suffered from mental illness and committed disciplinary violations.
“The safety and security of our users is our first priority and we continuously work to improve our safety and security system,” a Didi Kuaidi spokeswoman said.
The company works with government authorities to do background checks on all drivers, and those discovered to have criminal records, a history of substance abuse or untreated mental illnesses are removed from the platform, she said.
An Uber spokeswoman said that safety was the top priority and the firm had a screening process, rolling out facial-recognition technology for driver registration.
An initial inspection by Shenzhen’s public security department showed that among the pool of Shenzhen’s app drivers, 1,425 drivers had a criminal history of drug use, 1,661 had significant criminal records, and one driver was mentally ill and “caused trouble.”
Shenzhen authorities said that a total of 756,000 traffic violations involving car app services occurred in 2015, and that many cases involved drivers working when tired or ill. One case even involved a driver who died en route while carrying passengers in the car, it said.
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