China Bans Private-Car Taxi Services

China's Ministry of Transport has issued a nationwide ban on taxi services that use private cars and drivers who don't hold chauffeur licenses, Bloomberg News reports.

The ministry didn't mention any services by name. But the ruling directly targets the use of unlicensed cars by such services as DiDi Taxi, Kuaidi One and Uber.

At the same time, the ministry encourages the use of smartphone apps to hail licensed taxis. It says banning such apps to summon an independent operator will "put passengers at ease."

China's crackdown follows similar actions at the municipal level in Beijing, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai and Shenyang. All have outlawed unlicensed cars from charging to transport passengers.