Chongqing to boost fuel supplies to appease striking cabbies

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-11-4  |     ONLINE EDITION

CHONGQING Municipality will increase fuel supplies in response to the demands of the city's striking taxi drivers.

The strike, which turned violent at times, started early yesterday and continued today with large quantities of police seen patrolling streets, according to Xinhua news agency.

The municipal government said it would increase the daily supply by 100,000 cubic meters of compressed natural gas, which fuels most cabs in the city, to ease a fuel shortage.

At present there are a total of 75 natural gas stations in Chongqing, 46 of which are downtown. Ten more gas stations will open this year to satisfy the increasing demand for fuel, the report said.

Shortages of compressed natural gas, competition from unlicensed cabs and high fines for traffic violations ignited the strike yesterday.

A municipal spokesman said the city would revise the division of fares between drivers and companies in favor of the drivers.
However, the details and methods were yet to be decided, Zhou Bo, vice publicity director of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Committee, told Xinhua.

The government was still considering whether direct supervision of the companies or legislating income was more efficient and it was studying other issues such as administration costs and the workload of drivers, according to the report.

Unlicensed cab drivers would be penalized to protect the interests of licensed drivers, Zhou was cited as saying.

Taxi companies vowed to persuade drivers to end the strike, which turned violent at times yesterday. About 20 vehicles, including three police cares, were smashed yesterday and some passengers were pulled out of cabs that refused to join the strike.

About 1,000 of 9,000 taxi drivers in urban areas returned to work as of 4pm yesterday. Most cabbies still refused to work today, claiming their safety would be endangered.

Many residents chose to take buses today.