URUMQI - Chinese New Year was usually not a festival celebrated by Ahmat Tursunjan, but this year the 36-year-old Muslim made New Year wishes.

"If my application for a licensed taxi driver can be approved, I will be the luckiest person in the world," said the former college janitor who was laid off three years ago and has been using his coupe as an unlicensed taxi ever since.

He was among hundreds who signed up for the local government's recent program to "receive social transports for taxi operation", which would allow a certain number of "qualified but unlicensed cab drivers with cars in good conditions" to participate in the city's regular transportation.

The measure was part of a 400 million yuan project to improve the city's traffic condition and regulate the public transporting market, of which the greatest concern goes to increasing the number of taxis.

There are currently less than 8,000 regular taxis running on the streets of Urumqi, a city with a population of more than three million. The number of taxis has not change much in the last ten years, but unlicensed cabs are believed to have grown to at least the same amount to meet the increasing need.

Getting a taxi has always been a headache for the citizens in Urumqi where temperature could hit 40 degrees in summer and minus 30 in winter, while sandstorms visit from time to time in the other two seasons.

"It's common that you have to walk half an hour in the blistering cold before getting a taxi, sometimes I can't even feel my toes when I get home," said Yu Ruilin, who uses taxi mostly for commuting, saying she would rather use the unlicensed cab sometimes.

"The unlicensed taxi provided a good alternative, for they are usually more active and in better attitude towards customers. We would rather call it 'convenient cab'," she said.

However, "convenient cab" could sometimes turn out to be dangerous for passengers' safety. According to local Police, there were six reported robberies of single woman passengers who took unlicensed cab just during the New Year.

The relationship between regular taxi and unlicensed drivers could also turn ugly sometimes. Last December there was an incident in the Midong district where nearly a hundred taxis chased an unlicensed cab for undercutting their business.

"It's just unfair that we've got to buy our license and they could get it for free," said an anonymous taxi owner, who claimed to have bought his taxi operation certificate for 200,000 yuan in 2003.

"The operation certificates awarded this time will not be allowed for circulation, and the policy will mainly lean to those with domestic difficulties." Xu Bin, one of the city's top officials, explained in an earlier press conference. He also hinted that the administration of unlicensed cabs will be strengthened in the future.

Tursunjan was confident he will be selected because the policy seems to be in his favor in every way, though it means he would have to handle city management and start the fare at six yuan instead of a negotiable price.

"It's all worthwhile compared to the 30,000 yuan fine I would have to face once caught for my unlicensed business," he said. "After all no one wants to work under risk and fear."