Beijing airport accommodates taxi-booking apps  

Photo taken on Feb 18, 2014 shows an taxi app on a mobile phone of a taxi driver. [Photo: the Beijing News]

(ECNS) -- Beijing Capital International Airport has lifted bans on taxi-booking apps, but demands that taxi drivers wait in the parking lot after their cars have been reserved by passengers, the Beijing News reported.

We have considered introducing a new taxi-hailing system and carefully examined the implementation of taxi-booking apps, the airport said.

Reporters on Monday found some taxis entering and exiting the airport parking lot repeatedly to avoid paying fees charged for parking more than half an hour.

Meanwhile, some empty taxis were still waiting in restricted areas. Yang Feng, one of the drivers there, said he was finding clients via two mobile apps.

It is forbidden, Yang said, but no one had been fined so far.

If you wait in the allowed area, it can take one or two hours, and it may be a short journey, another taxi driver surnamed Jing said.

The app allows drivers to learn where the client is going before any deal is made, Jing added.

Both drivers said they had received mobile messages from the airport reminding them not to reserve passengers via apps in restricted areas.

However, Internet giants Tencent and Alibaba both launched promotion campaigns to encourage drivers and passengers to use taxi-booking apps, according to media reports.