Car-sharing service to be launched in Xi'an before end of March

A car-sharing service by China's leading auto-lease company Gofun and domestic vehicle manufacturer Chery will be launched in Xi'an, Shaanxi province at the end of this month. The new service is expected to fuel the city's sharing economy.

After the installation of several types of hardware and software, a total of 200 Chery EQs, the electric-vehicle model of Chery, will be put into the market. Three hundred more are expected to be added by the end of June.

The service will be available after users register on a Gofun mobile application, upload scanned versions of documents including IDs and driver's licenses, and pay a deposit of 699 RMB ($101). Users can find available vehicles by searching the application's GPS system. Customers will be charged based on both time and mileage: 1 RMB per kilometer and 0.1 RMB per minute.

According to Fang Jun, a local Chery EQ agent, the service will not only lower transportation costs, it will also reduce carbon emissions and solve the issues of vehicle restrictions, parking shortages and expensive car maintenance. The shared vehicles are allowed to be driven in bus-only lanes, unlike traditional fuel-powered cars, which are liable to receive a fine if they breach the rule. In addition, the electric vehicles are eligible for two hours of free parking in public parking lots.

Some experts noted that shared cars are different from shared bikes, as they take up more public space. They suggested that municipal administrators create new regulations on market access, insurance and safety monitoring.