He eventually found one in a different sector: driving cars. China has created its own local versions of Uber and Lyft, and the ride-hailing business is booming. But now Mr. Luo β and potentially tens of thousands of other drivers β will have to get off the road. Citing safety and other issues, the cities of Beijing and Shanghai said on Wednesday that Chinese ride-hailing companies must stop using out-of-town drivers like Mr.
Luo and hire only local residents to sit behind the wheel. A spokeswoman declined to comment on how the Beijing and Shanghai residency requirements for drivers would affect its business.
Those workers β now totaling nearly million, including Mr. Luo β leave their farms, villages and smaller cities to seek factory jobs and better lives in the big cities.
But the new ride-share regulations show that the technology industry in China is coming up against long-held concerns in the country about overcrowding, a widening wealth gap and access to education, health care and other services. It is not clear how many drivers would be affected, but the numbers could be significant.
In Shanghai, for instance, fewer than 10, of the , active drivers registered to Didi Chuxing have permanent residency papers, according to Didi.
