Ministry of Transport： Encourage localities to take phased reductions in taxi ＂element money＂

　CCTV News:On the morning of March 6, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on responding to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and supporting the development of the transportation industry and logistics and express delivery. Vice Minister of Transport Liu Xiaoming said at the press conference that since the epidemic occurred, transportation enterprises have played a role in ensuring transportation for the prevention and control of the epidemic and the restoration of normal economic and social order. At the same time, the transportation industry has also been greatly affected by the epidemic, and the volume of passenger and freight transportation has dropped significantly. In February, the passenger volume of railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation decreased by 79.9%, the volume of freight transportation decreased by 26.5%, and the number of taxis (including online car-hailing) receiving orders and transportation decreased by 85%. It can be seen that the income of truck drivers and taxi drivers has dropped significantly.

　　In response to issues of social concern such as reducing or exempting taxi "part money", ensuring the income of large truck drivers, and the operating difficulties of small, medium and micro enterprises in logistics, the Ministry of Transport, together with relevant departments, is stepping up the implementation of the policy in accordance with the relevant requirements of the executive meeting of the State Council. Mainly include the following aspects:

　　The first is to encourage the adoption of measures such as the phased reduction and exemption of "portion money" for taxi drivers. By combing the typical experience and practices of supporting enterprises and drivers in Beijing, Zhejiang, Wuhan, Shenzhen and other places to overcome difficulties together, guide local transportation departments to study and formulate policies and measures to support the healthy development of the taxi industry, rationally adjust the fees related to taxis, encourage the adoption of measures such as the phased reduction and exemption of "portion money", and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of taxi drivers.

　　The second is to take practical measures to enable truck drivers to benefit from free tolls. Organize industry associations, online freight platforms, and key logistics enterprises to monitor and analyze the freight logistics industry, issue monitoring reports on industry operations, and guide cargo owners, logistics enterprises, and truck drivers to rationally formulate transportation prices and share the dividends brought by the free tolls policy. Make truck drivers share the cost with cargo owners and logistics enterprises during the epidemic to overcome the difficulties together.

　　The third is to coordinate and implement financial subsidies for enterprises that perform transportation security tasks. Guide local transportation departments to timely sort out and summarize the situation of transportation and logistics enterprises performing emergency transportation tasks during the epidemic prevention and control period, and closely cooperate with the financial department to compensate enterprises performing emergency transportation tasks that belong to the government’s purchase of public services. Guide all localities to actively seek the support of local financial departments, strengthen the accounting of income and costs, and increase subsidies and support for urban public transportation and urban rail transit enterprises.

　　The fourth is to coordinate and increase financial support for passenger and freight transportation enterprises, especially small, medium and micro enterprises. We actively communicate and coordinate with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and encourage insurance companies to appropriately reduce or exempt the insurance fees of operating vehicles, ships and aircraft that have been suspended during the epidemic by extending the insurance period and deducting the renewal fee. In conjunction with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the Financial Institution Group is encouraged to provide special project credit lines and loans at preferential interest rates to passenger and freight transportation enterprises, especially private and small and micro enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households affected by the epidemic, and to treat taxi drivers and road freight drivers as relevant policies for individual industrial and commercial households, and to support bank loans.