[Newsflash] Chinese taxis on strike after booking apps take over

Due to the increasingly competitive taxi apps in China, taxi drivers in several cities have gone on strike. The likes of Uber and Didi Zhuanche that provide an online platform for people to book private cars without a taxi licence has reduced demand for local taxi drivers, whilst increasing rental fees has intensified the situation. People across Changchun, Jinan, Chengdu and Nanchang were all left without struggling to hail a taxi earlier this week, meanwhile, some of the cab drivers on strike in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, were beaten and their cars smashed according to local reports.

The taxi app industry in China has experienced a very rocky start, with a police raid on Uber’s offices in Chongqing, whilst these premium service apps that employ private cars are on the verge of being banned by the Chinese government.