Congested Beijing to speed up car sharing

Beijing authorities will encourage the development of car-sharing services to reduce traffic congestion, and the capital could have 2,000 new energy vehicles devoted to this model of service by the end of the year.

The municipal government will encourage companies in the car-sharing service to speed up their business development and service coverage, Rong Jun, a spokesman for the Beijing Commission of Transportation, told a media briefing on Thursday.

At least three companies provide car-sharing services in Beijing, including Gofun, a service launched by the State-owned Shou Qi Group.

Car-sharing service is part of the municipality's efforts to further reduce traffic gridlock and encourage the use of green transportation.

Rong said the authority will also try to improve 600 kilometers of road to make them friendlier to cyclists, while stepping up regulation of bicycle-sharing services.

More than 300,000 bikes are provided by the two largest bicycle-sharing enterprises in the capital, according to the commission.

"From the perspective of a regulator, we definitely support the development of bicycle-sharing services. But that does not mean that we should relax its supervision," Rong said.

The transportation commission will require each district of the capital to designate areas for parking bicycles from the sharing services, he added.

The municipal government will continue to prioritize the development of public transportation, including another 30 km of subway lines to be put into operation by the end of the year, according to the commission.

Beijing will also begin construction this year of two new subway lines.

Li Shaoming, deputy head of the Beijing Transportation Management Bureau, said the authority will also increase the crackdown on cars parked illegally alongside roads in the downtown area.