Aspiring ride-sharing drivers undergo inaugural tests

Only 50 percent of applicants passed the first round of tests on Feb 15 that would determine if they can become ride-sharing drivers in the city, the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission said on Friday.

Shanghai rolled out a new regulation in October mandating that drivers of car-hailing platforms obtain licenses from the government. The regulation, which was also introduced in Beijing, requires drivers hired by car-hailing platforms like Didi Chuxing to possess a local household registration and local license plates for their cars.

As such, the new rules prohibit migrant workers from working as drivers for such apps and aim to alleviate traffic congestion and boost passenger safety.

According to the commission, more than 100 applicants took the tests and they were quizzed on topics such as taxi policy and regulations, professional ethics, accident management, first-aid knowledge and Shanghai tourism sites.

In order to pass the two-part tests, applicants had to obtain at least 80 out of 100 marks each.

Cao Chen contributed to this story.