2017年CRI China encourages car-sharing: Ministry of Transport

 

A file photo shows shared cars in China. [Photo: People.com.cn]

China's Ministry¹ of Transport has been soliciting² public opinion over drafted guidelines to regulate the country's car-rental services. Encouraging the development of car-sharing services is among the highlights of the document.

The drafted document says the Chinese government supports the development of car-sharing, which allows people to rent cars for short periods of time and help ease urban congestion³ and parking pressure. It also touches upon practical aspects of the growth and service requirements of the industry.

Cheng Guohua is a researcher with China's Ministry of Transport. He said the drafting of the document will fill a void in China's current regulations of car-rentals and car-sharing.

"A very important aspect to the industry's development is legal supervision⁴ and regulation. At the central level, China does not currently have regulations related to car-rental and car-sharing," said Cheng.

The researcher said regional regulations exist in the sector⁵ in various parts of China but that a lack of standardized⁶ industry requirements has impeded⁷ the sector's growth.

Unlike traditional car-rentals over the counter, car-sharing refers to services where users can gain access to vehicles, often by the hour, online. The cars are usually parked at designated parking lots, where drivers can get to and return them.

More than 40 companies in China currently offer car-sharing services, while most cars are new energy vehicles. Those numbers are small, considering the country's tremendous auto⁸ market.

Zhu Dajian is Professor and Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development and Governance at Shanghai Tongji University. He said the emergence⁹ of car-sharing in China is the latest step in country's sustainable development.

"Car-sharing is a new concept. Previously¹⁰, car ownership helped to develop China's economy and its cities. But now people have found that it has led to congestions and other challenges to the environment and economy. Conversely, car sharing serves as a model to provide car access without the requirement of ownership," said Zhu.

The issuing of the draft document comes as Chinese authorities recently released another set of draft regulations for the country's booming bike sharing services. That document was released after those services, in addition to convenience, also brought along a slew¹¹ of new problems, such as unregulated parking.

Zhu Dajian with Tongji University said compared to its counterpart for bike-sharing, the latest document for car-sharing can better serve to guide the sector and prevent problems before they occur.

"The draft document over car-sharing is perhaps more focused on forecasting and guiding the industry development. Many potential or foreseeable problems have not occurred in the actual industry. So it is difficult to accurately¹² pinpoint¹³ them. But it can serve to lead the industry, rather than trying to regulate the market once it becomes disorderly," said Zhu.

Cheng Guohua with the Ministry of Transport said those areas addressed by the car-sharing draft regulations include protection of users' rights.

"The car-sharing service providers gain access to user information such as personal identification, bank card information and travel routes. So there is the issue of information security. And there is also financial security, when it comes to the deposit money put down by users," said Zhu.

Additionally, Cheng says the draft regulations also aim to address challenges faced by service providers, through the development of measures such as preferential parking policies.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

4 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

7 impeded   

阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。
• He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

12 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

13 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。