Beijing cabbies fear loss of business

He installed the app on his phone in January and now picks up more than 300 commuters a month by using it.

"The application saves time and effort to search the road for passengers, and can improve efficiency," he said.

Li said cases of being "stood up" by commuters are not uncommon, but this will not stop him from continuing to use the app.

However, apps are not an option for all cabbies, with rising cellphone bills, due to data use, a concern for some.

Jiang said, "I don't need those applications as I know, through my experience, the locations where there are more commuters in need of the service."

Jiang said using an app can increase phone bills, which he believes is an unnecessary expense.

Beijing has 255 taxi companies and more than 66,000 taxis, which account for about 6 percent of the daily travel by commuters in the city, according to the Beijing Municipal Transport Commission.

However, as the government has given priority to solving traffic congestion with use of other forms of public transport, the number of taxis in the city will not rise sharply, according to the new regulation.