Higher parking fees lead to decrease in private car use

BEIJING - Statistics show the number of citizens in Beijing using private vehicles as their primary means of daily transport decreased for the first time in recent years after the city raised parking fees in April.

Guo Jifu, director of the Beijing Transportation Research Center, said in a live interview with eBeijing, the official website of the Beijing government, that the center had recorded a 1.5 percent decrease in the use of private vehicles and a 3.5 percent increase in public transport over the past three months.

In April, Beijing increased parking fees in non-residential areas by changing the pricing unit from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, which, according to Guo, largely accounts for the change in people's choice of daily transport.