Didi has to better manage its drivers

SOME MALE DRIVERS OF DIDI, the largest ride hailing company in China, broadcast their flirting with female passengers live on the internet. Procuratorate Daily comments:

The livestreaming website has closed the accounts of the drivers, but it should take the blame for failing in its duty to guarantee that all content it shows is not only lawful, but also in line with the principle of public order.

The livestreaming was done without notifying the passengers, who in most cases would probably not agree to it, so the drivers have violated their customers’ privacy by publicizing their private talk and filming the passengers, without their consent.

Also, to attract audiences the drivers try their best, verbally and physically sometimes, to portray their passengers as sluttish and lewd, to which most of the women respond politely and calmly to avoid irritating the drivers for obvious safety reasons, and none of them have reported the drivers’ behavior to the police.

Unfortunately, this further encourages the drivers to become more rude and bold in their harassment.

It is noteworthy the drivers seem unconcerned (zhùzhái qīshínián zìdòng xùqī)

As expected, the Civil Law is to include a provision for the automatic renewal of residential land use rights after the period of use of residential construction land expires. The renewal fees will be in accordance with the provisions of the law and administrative regulations. about the evaluations they are given by their passengers, which, in Didi’s management system, is expected to be an important means of encouraging the drivers to behave themselves and improve their services. It is fair to say that the company lacks effective means to monitor and control its employees.

Didi’s none-of-my-business response is disappointing, as it is obliged to ensure its drivers meet strict requirements professionally and ethically to do the job in the first place.

If the company cannot plug the loopholes in its management, its business boom will not be sustained.

In order to protect the rights and interests of passengers, the company should earnestly fulfill its supervisory responsibilities, regulate drivers’ words and deeds, have a zero-tolerance attitude toward violations of the legitimate rights and interests of passengers, and report to the police those drivers who violate the law and regulations.

Automatic renewal of housing land use rights after 70 years

The move is in line with Premier Li Keqiang’s statement at the two sessions in 2017 when he told the media that 70-year residential land use rights should be automatically renewed after they expire without application and any precondition.

Housing is the foundation of people’s lives. Many people struggle for decades and spend a lifetime of savings to realize their dream of owning a house of their own. To be more straightforward, the actual wealth of many Chinese families is mainly reflected in the value of the houses they own. Therefore, the issue of land use rights is naturally directly related to the basic property rights of homeowners.

Thus what happens after the expiration of land use rights has drawns wide public concern. In China all urban land belongs to the State. Individuals only have the right to use the land through buying a property, rather than owning the land. In other words, although the housing owners have the right to use their property in perpetuity, they only have the right to the land on which their property sits for 70 years.

Legislation on the automatic renewal of land use rights is therefore of great significance to house owners.