Parking fees short in Beijing

A parking warden waits for cars to park in Beijing on Nov 1, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

Many subcontractors are not clear about how much money they should pay the transport authorities, and subcontractors pay even less than the amount transport authorities should charge contractors, according to the report.

The report cited a subcontractor named Xiang Hong, who subcontracted 79 parking spaces on a 1-kilometer-long road in Chaoyang district last year.

Xiang only paid 35,000 yuan a month to Ai, who rented the spaces from the local government, but Ai should have paid the government 35,500 yuan a month under the regulations, the report said. Ai promised lower prices if Xiang could pay a whole year's fee in advance, the report said.

"I think there is something fishy in the deal," Xiang told Beijing News, adding that she could not get an answer from Ai after repeated questioning about how much money he actually paid to the government.

Xiang said she in turn subcontracted the parking spaces on the road to one of her friends for 50,000 yuan, and the friend can make a profit of 25,000 yuan a month at that price, as the actual number of parking spaces on the road is more than 200 and all can be rented.

According to regulations, daily fees for a car to park along the roadside in most of Beijing's urban areas is either 15 yuan or 35 yuan, depending on the area, the website of Beijing Parking Management Co said. The company declined to comment when contacted by China Daily.

Wang Wenfang, an official with the Commission of Transport, said more than 10 departments are involved in some way with roadside parking in Beijing. Wang declined further comment.