Taxi drivers in a suburb of Chongqing municipality stopped work Wednesday to protest a government plan to increase the number of licensed cabs in the district.
The short-lived protest was held in response to the announcement of the government of Yongchuan, about 60 km west of the city center, to raise the number of cabs from 300 to 400 in the district, Hu Longyi, director of the district road traffic and transportation administration, said.
The cabbies went back to work at about 1:30 pm, following talks with officials, Hu said.
According to an earlier report from the Xinhua News Agency, the district government decided to increase the number of taxis by 100 at a meeting held last month. However, the news angered two of the city's cab firms, which then organized Wednesday's protest.
"There were some misunderstandings about the plan to increase taxi numbers," Hu said.
"So we spoke to the two firms and the drivers agreed to go back to work."
The decision to increase taxi numbers was taken because the existing 300 is "far from enough", he said.
Many people have complained of difficulties getting cabs in Yongchuan, especially during rush hour," Hu said.
Earlier this month, thousands of taxi drivers went on strike in downtown Chongqing, prompting Party Secretary Bo Xilai to meet with their representatives.
Also Wednesday, the Chongqing workers' association urged all 155 of the city's taxi firms to establish a union by the end of the month, local media reported.
The move aims to give taxi drivers a greater say on pay and working conditions, the reports said.
Meanwhile, the government in Sanya, Hainan province, has agreed to put a ceiling on taxi leasing fees at between 4,800 ($700) and 5,300 yuan.
Authorities across the country have been considering a range of similar measures to appease taxi drivers amid mounting protests.
In Wuhan, Hubei province, the government said it is considering raising taxi fares from 3 yuan per kilometer to 8 yuan, while authorities in Changsha, Hunan province, have said they will hold a public hearing to discuss the raising of fares.
In Beijing, Lu Xianmin, head of the city's taxi association, said that although cabbies had become disgruntled by rising costs, the taxi business remained stable.
