The reason behind Nanning, Guangxi’s suspension of ＂Didi Beat Donkey＂ turned out to be this
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 25 Question: Why was "Didi Beating Donkey" stopped?
Xinhua News Agency "China Network" reporter Huo Yao, Cao Yiming
The "online car-hailing" market is in full swing, bringing convenience to public life, but have you heard of "online car-hailing"? Recently, Nanning, Guangxi has stopped "Didi Dagong" online car-hailing, which has triggered heated discussions among netizens. Experts pointed out that supporting policies and systems should be improved, and the management of electric vehicles should be strengthened in accordance with laws and regulations to ensure the safe travel of the public.
What kind of software is the "Didi **** Donkey" that has been stopped?
Recently, a group of "little electric donkey" drivers wearing green coats and Little Red Riding Hood appeared on the streets of Nanning, Guangxi. They shuttled through the streets and alleys, and ran to the designated destination with a "beep" on their mobile phones.
It is understood that they are all from an online electric bicycle platform called "Donkey’s Travel". This electric bicycle version of the ride-hailing software is called "Didi Dagong" by netizens. A user told reporters that in just a few days after the software was launched, the platform has been downloaded 5,000 times, and nearly 500 electric vehicles have been registered.
Just like online car booking, after logging in to the "Donkey’s Travel" APP, enter the starting point and destination, and the platform will send orders nearby. Passengers can choose to call electric vehicles, motorcycles, and tricycles. Owners of these types of vehicles can also receive orders, deliver goods, and earn money part-time on the platform.
"It’s very convenient, and the price is not expensive." An interviewed user told reporters that it costs about 12 yuan for an electric car to travel 7 kilometers online, and it will arrive in more than 20 minutes.
Reporters downloaded the software and found that in addition to providing users with ride-hailing services, "Donkey’s Travel" also provides services such as the sale of new and second-hand electric bicycles, the display and sale of electric vehicle accessories, and the release and sale of personal idle goods.
On December 18, the Nanning Municipal Transportation Bureau issued a statement saying that "donkey travel" was suspected of violating regulations and had stopped related services.
Hu Wenjie, head of the laws and regulations section of the Nanning Municipal Transportation Bureau, introduced that according to the "Regulations on the Administration of Road Transport of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region" and relevant regulations of Nanning City, Nanning City prohibits non-motor vehicles such as electric bicycles, motorcycles, and tricycles from engaging in road passenger transportation operations. Therefore, if there are electric bicycles, motorcycles, and tricycles that receive orders for passenger transportation through the "Donkey’s Travel" platform or other means, they are all suspected of violations, and the transportation department will investigate and punish them according to law.
At present, "Donkey’s Travel" can still be downloaded in the app store, and the ride-hailing service is no longer available, but other services can still be used normally.
Behind the Stop: The Hidden Worries of Online Electric Vehicles
"I feel that electric vehicles are very good, environmentally friendly and convenient, and standardized." Ma Lin, a student in Guangxi, believes that the popularity of online electric vehicles shows that citizens have demand. "Nanning buses are too slow, cars are too congested, and subways are too few. Small electric donkeys can go where other means of transportation cannot go." Ma Lin said.
Others questioned the division of responsibilities and claims in the event of an accident on the road. "The procedure for registering an electric car driver is too simple, the identity of the owner cannot be guaranteed, and the personal safety of passengers cannot be guaranteed," said He Shun, a user.
In this regard, the transportation department of Nanning City reminded that all vehicles that engage in commercial transportation without a transportation operation license are illegal operations, and it is difficult for citizens to effectively protect their personal safety and legitimate rights and interests when taking such transportation.
In fact, Nanning is a "city of electric bicycles". As of the end of July 2017, the number of registered electric bicycles in the urban area of Nanning had reached 2.051 million, ranking among the top cities in China. In Nanning, the usage rate of electric bicycles is also very high. A driver in the downtown area of Nanning told reporters that the parking fee for electric vehicles is 1 yuan during the day and 2 yuan at night, and his daily income can be more than 1,000 yuan – the figure reflects the huge number of electric vehicles in Nanning, which hides greater safety hazards.
A citizen of Nanning told reporters that many electric vehicles forcibly occupied the road and drove illegally, "driving fast and fiercely, which is particularly dangerous."
The relevant person in charge of the transportation department of Nanning City said that electric bicycles are powerful and fast, and accidents will cause greater injuries and losses.
The reporter combed and found that, in addition to Nanning, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou and other places have clearly stopped sharing electric bicycles. In September this year, the relevant management departments in Hangzhou stopped "sharing electric vehicles", and companies such as Yunqi Tianxia and motorcycle cleaned up their vehicles and withdrew from the Hangzhou market.
On October 26 this year, a number of departments in Xi’an issued a document clearly stating that Xi’an "prohibits the development of Internet rental electric bicycles", but some companies still ignore the ban and continue to put them in.
Expert: Electric vehicles should be "set rules"
Retrograde, seize motor vehicle lanes, hit the road without a license… In recent years, electric bicycles have repeatedly driven illegally, becoming a "traffic army" that has to be rectified and managed.
Wu Chungeng, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, said in an interview with the media that the current market and the vehicles that have been put on the market generally do not meet the requirements of the "General Technical Conditions for Electric Bicycles" standards. In this regard, he suggested improving supporting policies and systems, strengthening management in accordance with laws and regulations, and ensuring public safety travel.
"In order to thoroughly manage the problem of urban electric vehicles, legal protection is the prerequisite." An interviewed expert believes that legislation should be advanced to classify electric bicycles as a "third type of vehicle" other than motor vehicles and non-motor vehicles, and to formulate special laws and regulations or management measures for electric vehicle drivers, strictly control overloading and speeding, and manage electric vehicles from the source.
Experts pointed out: "The illegal operation of electric bicycles needs to be centrally rectified, and the illegal collection of passengers and waiting passengers should be severely cracked down. At the same time, the illegal activities of receiving orders through third-party platforms or other means for passenger transportation operations should be investigated and punished according to law."
In addition, some experts said that it is also important to guide the public to use electric bicycles as little as possible and improve the service level of urban public transportation. Especially for cities with high electric vehicle ownership, ownership rate and travel density, the public transportation network and rail transit service level should be optimized, and roads should be planned and designed scientifically to solve the problem of traffic congestion points, so that individual traffic can be transferred to public transportation.