南京率先下调出租车份子钱

Nanjing's municipal government, in setting the bar for other cities in China, has cut monthly franchise fees for taxi drivers by up to 9-percent.

Under the changes, taxi drivers who run a single shift in Nanjing will see their monthly fees cut by 600-yuan down to 61-hundred.

Drivers who pull double-shifts will have their rates cut by 200-yuan a month down to 68-hundred.

"To some extent, we are satisfied with the policy changes. After all, the franchise fees are being decreased by hundreds of yuan. For us, it's better than before. We can save thousands each year. So life will be easier for us."

Taxi drivers who operate high-end or new energy vehicles still have to pay a larger fee.

However, a single-shift driver in one of these vehicles will also see their monthly fees cut by 700-yuan to 77-hundred a month.

Double-shifters in high-end cabs have seen their monthly fees cut by 800-yuan to 86-hundred.

But while costs are coming down across the board, not all the cab drivers in Nanjing are happy with the changes.

"It's not a big cut. An increase in the base fare will be much better for us than decreasing the charges by only two hundred yuan."

The Nanjing municipal government cut the fuel surcharge from 2 yuan down to 1 yuan last year, meaning the average driver in Nanjing lost around 200-yuan per month.

Taxi drivers across China have long-complained they have to hand over nearly half of their fares to the fleet companies they rent their vehicles from.

Most drivers in China are considered independent contractors, meaning they don't have a base salary or other benefits.

To protest what they say are shrinking incomes, high charges and competition from ride-hailing apps, taxi drivers in a half-dozen cities across China went on strike earlier this year.

Authorities have been taking steps to protect the rights of cab drivers.

The central authorities introduced new rules this year which prohibit privately-owned vehicles from using ride-hailing apps to offer rides.

Only licensed taxis are allowed to use the apps.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.