Nighttime more likely for Internet ride-hailing and taxi drivers to commit crimes: report

BEIJING - The most frequent period for crimes by Internet ride-hailing and conventional taxi drivers is at night, a media statement from the Supreme People's Court has said.

According to a report by the China Justice Big Data Institution, 50 percent of cases related to Internet ride-hailing drivers occurred at night, with close to 30 percent of cases related to taxi drivers.

Among cases which have received first-instance judgments across people's court at all levels in 2017, less than 20 were related to crimes by Internet ride-hailing drivers when they were providing services. Passengers accounted for 77.78 percent of the victims.

In comparison, over 170 cases were related to taxi drivers and 46.26 percent of victims were passengers.

Crime rates for Internet ride-hailing and conventional taxi drivers are respectively 0.048 and 0.627, per 10,000 people.

The number of taxi drivers is, by estimate, 2.79 million, as reported by China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) in 2017.

Internet ride-hailing in this report includes both car-pooling and ride-hailing. The number was estimated based on "as of July 31, 2018, information of 3.73 million drivers has been submitted by Internet ride-hailing services," published by MOT.

Intentional injury accounts for about 40 percent of the crimes by Internet ride-hailing drivers. Violent and drug-related crimes account for 43 percent of the crimes by taxi drivers.

The top reason for passengers and both types of drivers to argue is the fare.

Crimes committed by both types of drivers when providing services concentrate on intentional injury, traffic offenses, and rape. More cases related to taxi drivers took place in the car, while more cases related to Internet ride-hailing services occurred at locations along the route.

Among cases in which drivers assaulted passengers, 7.32 percent of the taxi drivers have a criminal record. For Internet ride-hailing drivers, the rate is 14.29 percent.