中國大城市網約車新政引爭議

China’s government has proposed strict new limits on car hailing apps’ use of migrants as drivers in major cities, in a blow to Didi Chuxing and potentially to other Chinese internet groups.

中國政府針對網約車服務在大城市使用外來務工人員作爲駕駛員提議了嚴格的新限制，此舉打擊了滴滴出行(Didi Chuxing)，潛在還將打擊中國其他互聯網集團。

Migrants from rural China have fuelled the business models of some of the country’s largest internet companies including Alibaba, Meituan-Dianping, as well as Didi Chuxing.

來自中國農村及小城鎮的務工人員一直推動中國一些最大的互聯網公司的商業模式，包括阿里巴巴(Alibaba)、美團點評(Meituan-Dianping)以及滴滴出行。

They all rely on low-paid drivers and couriers to provide services such as ecommerce, ride hailing and food delivery.

它們都依靠低薪的司機和快遞員提供電子商務、網約車和送餐等服務。

Thanks to the proliferation of cheap online-to-offline offerings, Chinese smartphone users can order virtually any service delivered to their door, from taxis to takeout food, and this has helped drive rapid adoption of the mobile internet in China.

得益於廉價線上到線下(O2O)服務的大量涌現，中國智能手機用戶可以訂購幾乎任何送貨上門的服務，從出租車到外賣食品，這幫助推動了中國移動互聯網的快速普及。

But that practice has clashed with the central government’s recent efforts to limit urban migration.

但這種做法與中央政府最近限制城市移民的努力存在牴觸。

A new set of draft laws rolled out in China’s top-tier cities would require all drivers for car-hailing services to have a residency permit — known as a hukou — in the city where they drive.

中國一線城市出臺的一套新的法律草案將要求網約車服務的所有駕駛員擁有本地戶口。

Didi has publicly called for a rethink of the regulations, saying the current draft will force the majority of cars and drivers currently serving the public on Didi Chuxing to quit.

滴滴公開呼籲重新思考這些規定，稱目前的草案將使得絕大多數滴滴平臺上目前服務老百姓的車輛和司機被迫退出。

The new rules would decimate the ranks of the more than 15m drivers currently registered on Didi and could presage similar limitations on migrants working for other internet industries.

新規則將使目前在滴滴注冊的1500多萬駕駛員大批失去資格，並且可能預示在其他互聯網行業打工的外來務工人員面臨類似限制。

Pang Kun, a lawyer based in Guangdong province who focuses on public interest and labour-related issues in China, says: The internet service industry as a whole relies heavily on migrant workers.

專注於中國公共利益和勞工問題的廣東省律師龐琨表示：互聯網服務業整體上嚴重依賴外來務工人員。

In Shenzhen, for example, more than 90 per cent of workers in such service industries are non-local migrant workers, he says.

他表示，以深圳爲例，此類服務行業90%以上的勞動者是非本地的外來務工人員。

So far the transport bureau in Beijing has refused to budge.

到目前爲止，北京市交通委員會拒絕通融。

It has said the new rules are intended to target what it calls urban diseases.

它表示，新規則旨在解決它所稱的城市病。

It cited disorderly and rapid increase of population and increased traffic congestion.

它提到人口無序過快增長和交通擁堵加劇。

Some analysts argue that serious amendments are unlikely.

一些分析人士認爲，不太可能進行認真的修正。

The central government is behind the new rules and they are serious about this, said one adviser to Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride hailing app, which is set to be most affected by the new rules.

中央政府是這些新規則的幕後推手，他們對這件事是當真的，滴滴出行的一位顧問表示。這家中國最大網約車服務勢必是受新規則影響最嚴重的。

But China’s premier Li Keqiang muddied the picture late on Thursday by indicating that Beijing might be flexible in its approach to the rules.

但是，中國總理李克強在近日暗示北京方面可能靈活對待此類規則，這使整個局面更加模糊。

China would listen to the views of all parties about rules governing the market, Mr Li told tech leaders at a meeting in the southern city of Shenzhen.

李克強在華南城市深圳的一個會議上對科技行業領袖們表示，政府在市場規則上將聽取各方面的意見。

If implemented as is, the new rules would most likely hamper plans by Didi Chuxing for an initial public offering planned for as early as next year.

如果現有版本的規則付諸執行，新規則將很可能阻礙滴滴出行計劃最早在明年就進行的首次公開發行(IPO)。

Didi values itself at $35bn after buying the China operations of Uber in a deal in August that left the San Francisco-based company and its investors with a 20 per cent stake in its Chinese rival.

滴滴在8月份收購優步(Uber)的中國業務後估值達到350億美元，那筆交易使總部位於舊金山的優步及其投資者擁有滴滴20%的股份。

Wang Jun, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, says the new rules are in line with the central government’s efforts to limit the growth of population in major cities.

中國政法大學教授王軍表示，新規則與中央政府限制主要城市人口增長的努力相符。

But if the goal is to limit migrant population in Beijing or Shanghai, why is the car-hailing industry the only one that’s receiving such treatment when many industries out there also have non-local workers?

但如果目標是限制北京或上海的流動人口，那爲什麼網約車行業是唯一受到這種對待的行業，而其他許多行業也有非本地的勞動者？