MINIBUSES with 11 seats per bus are expected to be put into service soon on a trial basis to combat motorcycles and electric bikes operating as illegal taxis, according to city transport authorities.
The minibuses cover a smaller area with fast transport, an unidentified city transport commission spokesman told the Southern Metropolis Daily yesterday.
Illegal bus services by vehicles with fewer than 10 seats were popular in Longgang and Bao an districts because they were fast, the spokesman said.
Such illegal buses set off when they have a couple of customers, saving time, the spokesperson said. This inspired us to launch the minibuses.
He said the minibuses were designed for short routes to focus on specific passengers. They will be even more flexible than the existing branch buses and we hope this will discourage residents from taking illegal buses.
The spokesperson said the minibuses were one of a number of measures authorities had planned to diversify public transport to meet public demand while trying to curb illegal transport operators.
A number of express buses with flexible routes were put into service last month, attracting many passengers. Different from regular buses which have to run along designated routes, the express buses have fixed destinations but no routes, enabling the drivers to pick fast roads with less traffic.
We hope the diversified bus services will serve the different needs of passengers while discouraging illegal operations, the spokesman said.
Authorities are also considering introducing bike rental services in a number of communities where illegal electric bikes are rampant. We ll try to make it convenient for residents by enabling payments for renting bikes to be made with the Shenzhen Tong cards. Hopefully residents will stay away from illegal electric bikes, he said.
Illegal taxis and buses have been rampant especially in Longgang and Bao an districts. Green taxis in Longgang and Bao an went on strike last month in protest at rampant illegal car and electric bike taxis. Taxi drivers claimed the illegal taxis were ruining their livelihoods by attracting passengers with cheaper charges.
I work so hard every day but earn a little more than 2,000 yuan (US$300) per month, much lower than the illegal taxis, said Xue Hai, who has been driving a taxi in Bao an District for five years.
He said green taxi drivers barely made ends meet faced with competition from their unlicensed counterparts in the face of skyrocketing prices of food, gasoline and rents.
According to the Daily, illegal electric bike taxis could easily earn more than 3,000 yuan. Zhang Chuan runs his electric bike near a bus terminal in Bao an District near Nantou Checkpoint every evening and makes 3,000 yuan a month. Business is actually quite good, he said. (Wei Jie, Han Ximin)
