CHINA outlined new rules yesterday to safeguard the rights of drivers in its giant ride-hailing industry, requiring operators of the services to provide them with social insurance and make their earnings public. In a statement, agencies including the antitrust watchdog, transport ministry and public security ministry said ride-hailing companies should improve income distribution mechanisms. They said anti-monopoly measures will be stepped up against such companies and a “disorderly expansion of capital” will be prevented in the sector. And they also warned ride-hailing companies against using data to take advantage of consumers. China will establish local-level supervisory offices staffed by personnel from multiple agencies before the year’s end, according to the statement. The rules came after regulators told companies including Didi Global, Meituan, Alibaba Group’s Ele.me and Tencent Holdings in September to improve how they distributed incomes and ensure rest periods for drivers and food-delivery riders. The new rules could increase costs for ride-hailers and impact their earnings. The industry in China hit an overall transaction volume of 249.91 billion yuan (US$39.22 billion) in 2020, according to a report by the Internet Society of China. (SD-Agencies) | 