CRI听力:World Cup Brings Business To Driving Service Market

Anchor: The World Cup not only has brought Chinese football fans a frenzied summer, but also an increase in business for companies that provide drivers to take people home after parties. Their logos say, "Don't worry about binge drinking, someone will send you home."

Let's follow our reporter Liu Min to take a closer look.

Reporter:




At a warm midnight, Fan Debin from the driving service company Changyinwuyou goes to a bar in eastern Beijing's Sanlitun neighborhood to drive a customer home. He says as a football fan he's never watched a single match since the World Cup started earlier this month, because he has been busy driving home inebriated fans.

"This is the third customer tonight. There is another one later for me to get. Ever since the World Cup started, orders asking our company for driving services have been jumping a lot every day."

Providing such services is strictly regulated. Drivers usually show the customers their driver's licenses first, and then sign a driving service contract with the customers.

One customer says the service is very convenient for him.

"It's not a good option to take a taxi since I need to pick up some friends on the way to the banquet. That's why I have to drive my own car. This kind of service can guarantee that someone will drive me home after the party."

Drivers like Fan Debin say they now must work overtime every day since demand for drivers has recently risen, thanks to the World Cup.

"In the past, we usually could go home after the last service before 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Now we have extended our working hours to 2 to 3 a.m. or even 5 o'clock in the morning."

Earlier, Beijing's traffic control department pledged it would crack down on drunk-driving with strict measures, especially during the World Cup. Those who violate traffic regulations will have their licenses revoked. Extreme behaviors while driving could even result in arrest by police.

The World Cup has been a catalyst for booming business at driving service companies.

Zhang Jing, manager of one such company, says orders for driving services have increased by 50 percent or more.

"Before the World Cup, orders were only 40 to 50 every day. But now the obvious change is the number has jumped to 70 to 80 orders per day."

The price for driving services during the day starts at 60 yuan per hour. But the average price during the night is a bit higher. Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. customers must pay 80 yuan. The price jumps to 100 yuan when service is provided between 11 p.m. and 12 p.m. During this period, driving service companies can make about 100 thousand yuan more than before.

Zhang Jin is very happy about the extra profit his firm is making during the World Cup.

"The World Cup has brought us much more businesses these days. We are also busy recruiting more drivers. We are cooperating with other companies in the city. Their drivers can also take our orders so that such services can cover most parts of the city."

The World Cup is not only making driver's service companies more popular these days, but also luring many individual drivers who are trying to get a slice of the booming market, with hundreds of driving service advertising threads emerging online.

Industry insiders remind customers to always check licenses and certificates while they are sober before signing a service contract to avoid a possible dispute later.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.