Ride-hailing app drivers probed over safety issues

Transportation authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, will shut down online ride-hailing services for hundreds of independent drivers after they were found to have had previous "illegal behaviors".

According to the Shenzhen Transportation Commission, 1,425 drivers were found to have taken drugs and another 1,661 had "serious" criminal records before they worked with online ride-hailing companies.

"Such previous illegal behavior poses a threat to passenger safety," said Yu Li, an official with the commission.