Since 2021, the transportation authorities have focused more on the compliance of online ride-hailing drivers and vehicles, and have also introduced many measures. In 2022, Sunshine Action will be one of the key tasks of the transportation department, and more supporting measures will be introduced in various places to protect the legitimate rights and interests of drivers and reduce the operational risks of online ride-hailing practitioners.
"Recently, due to the impact of the epidemic and the off-season after the Spring Festival, people's willingness to travel has dropped significantly, coupled with the rapid development of online ride-hailing, the taxi business has become more and more difficult to do. If only the government could implement total cap control over ride-hailing. The heads of a number of taxi companies in Jinan said so.
However, information from all over the country shows that most cities have no intention of implementing total control over online ride-hailing, and more are looking for a balance through market regulation. Of course, in order to avoid losses caused by citizens blindly entering the market, local transportation authorities still frequently issue market warnings, reminding that "the online ride-hailing market is risky, and it is necessary to be cautious when entering".
Many places have issued risk tips for online ride-hailing practitioners
Recently, Shenzhen released a risk tip for online ride-hailing practitioners: it is recommended to rent a car for a short time. The competent department said in the risk reminder that enterprises and drivers who intend to engage in online ride-hailing business services should pay close attention to the latest developments in the industry, comprehensively and objectively assess operating income, and prudently make investment and employment choices such as car purchases. In particular, those drivers who plan to rent a car, when choosing to sign a car rental contract with a car rental company, should carefully read and confirm the terms of the contract to protect their legitimate rights and interests; at the same time, it is recommended to give priority to the rental plan with a shorter lease duration to reduce operational risks.
The data shows that in the second half of 2021, the daily order volume of Shenzhen's online ride-hailing car will be about 10.5 orders, compared with 10.9 orders in the first half of the year. Some online ride-hailing drivers reported that they only ran 253 yuan in 10 hours online, "not yet entering the scene to play the high wages of screws", which made him have no motivation, and he has bought a ticket to return to his hometown. As of December 31, 2021, there are already 29 online ride-hailing platforms in Operation in Shenzhen, and everyone is recruiting online ride-hailing drivers, but the market is so big.
Like Shenzhen, many cities such as Xi'an and Sanya remind online ride-hailing drivers to "be cautious when entering the market" by issuing early warnings for the ride-hailing market. The Qingdao Municipal Transportation Department has also announced the operation of the online ride-hailing market in 2021, suggesting that enterprises and online ride-hailing drivers who intend to engage in online ride-hailing operation services should invest prudently and properly choose the direction of employment. At the same time, drivers are reminded to improve their awareness of risk prevention, pay full attention to industry dynamics, understand policies and regulations, and properly select the platform companies to be accessed.
According to online ride-hailing observation, there are currently more than 250 online ride-hailing platforms in the country, and the largest one has won the operating licenses of 212 cities. Many online ride-hailing platforms have increased their promotion efforts, and compliant online ride-hailing drivers have become the "fragrant food" that everyone is competing for. Whoever has more drivers will have a head start in the next step of competition and will have easier access to market opportunities.
The total number of vehicles tends to be adjusted by the market
Recently, in order to standardize the operation and service behavior of online ride-hailing, ensure operational safety and the legitimate rights and interests of passengers, Shijiazhuang City officially issued the "Shijiazhuang City Network Reservation Taxi Business Service Management Measures (Provisional)", taking the market law as the main means, giving full play to the role of market self-regulation, so that the development of online ride-hailing vehicles is gradual and actively and steadily advancing; the number of online ride-hailing vehicles is not limited, and the existing online car-hailing vehicles that do not meet the conditions are reduced through the scientific establishment of vehicles and personnel access thresholds; the unimpeded entry and exit mechanism. For those who are willing to participate in the online ride-hailing business, use the pace of certification to release it in a timely and appropriate amount; those who are unwilling to continue to participate in the online ride-hailing business may apply for withdrawal at any time.
Previously, in July 2017, Shijiazhuang City had stipulated: "The development of online ride-hailing should comprehensively consider factors such as the number of urban population, the level of economic development, the carrying capacity of roads, the proportion of shares in the urban comprehensive transportation system, urban transportation development planning, taxi mileage utilization rate and urban environmental protection requirements, etc., and establish a dynamic monitoring and adjustment mechanism.
The new measures delete the above-mentioned provisions. The competent authorities pointed out in the interpretation that there is no limit to the number of online ride-hailing vehicles, and the dynamic balance is mainly achieved by market regulation.
At present, most cities, like Shijiazhuang City, do not have a clear statement or limit the number of online ride-hailing vehicles, but to adjust the total amount through market means, which means that the risk of the online ride-hailing market is gradually increasing, and it is no longer a stable business like the traditional cruise taxi in previous years. Before entering the online ride-hailing industry, the public must have a detailed understanding of the local online ride-hailing market, carefully study and analyze it as an investment project, and finally decide whether to invest in the industry. Otherwise, once you buy an online car, you will have to operate continuously for 5-8 years, and the market risk and time risk need to be borne by yourself.
Industry experts believe that as a new format, online ride-hailing is a beneficial attempt to achieve dynamic balance through market regulation. Once the total amount control is implemented, monopoly interests will be formed, and the old way of operating the original cruise taxi market will be returned to the overall situation, which is not worth the loss. In order to reduce the risk of online ride-hailing drivers, government departments should increase the intensity and frequency of early warning, reminding them to make prudent decisions when entering the industry, which also puts forward higher requirements for practitioners.
The standard draw can reduce the burden on e-hailing drivers
The traffic authorities are very aware of the current situation of the ride-hailing market and have taken targeted measures to protect ride-hailing drivers. At the end of November 2021, the Ministry of Transport and eight other departments jointly issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Employees in New Forms of Transportation. The "Opinions" proposes that the relevant departments of various localities should urge the online ride-hailing platform enterprises to announce the pricing rules and income distribution rules to the driver and passengers and other relevant parties, and after each order is completed, the total amount paid by the passengers of the order and the driver's labor remuneration should be listed at the driver's end, and the proportion of the total amount paid by the passengers after subtracting the driver's labor remuneration and the total amount paid by the passengers (commonly known as "commissions") should be displayed to protect the driver's right to know and the right to supervise.
At the same time, urge online ride-hailing platform enterprises to reasonably set a percentage cap and publish it publicly on mobile clients and media; before determining and adjusting business strategies such as pricing rules and income distribution rules, openly solicit the opinions of employee representatives, trade union organizations, and industry associations, and announce them to the public one month in advance.
On December 24, 2021, the Ministry of Transport held a press conference, and Cai Tuanjie, spokesman and director of the Department of Transport Services, said that online ride-hailing and shared bicycles are typical representatives of new forms of transportation travel, and after these years of development, they have provided more convenience for the people, but there are also problems in the development process, which need to be regulated and supervised accordingly. One of the priorities of the next step is to standardize the business behavior of enterprises and implement the "sunshine action" of new format platform enterprises.
Industry experts believe that since 2021, the transportation authorities have focused more on the compliance of online ride-hailing drivers and vehicles, and have also introduced many measures. Local governments have intensified law enforcement inspections, investigated and dealt with illegal online ride-hailing, and accelerated the process of compliance. In 2022, "Sunshine Action" will be one of the key tasks of the transportation department, and more supporting measures will be introduced to protect the legitimate rights and interests of drivers and reduce the operational risks of online ride-hailing practitioners.