Taxis were difficult to find on the roads of Shenzhen, Guangdong on Monday as many drivers went on strike to protest at competition from other car-hiring services.

Long waiting queue at a taxi stand in Shenzhen. Photo: mycar168.com.

A picture posted on car website mycar168.com show long waiting queues at a taxi stand at the Shenzhen Railway Station. Others show vacant taxis at various indoor and outdoor parking spaces. Some people went on social media platform Weibo to complain they could not find any taxis.

Idle taxis at an outdoor parking lot in Shenzhen. Photo: mycar168.com.

Hong Kong’s Oriental Media said as many as 90 percent of taxi drivers went on strike on Monday. Taxi drivers are unhappy about the competition they face from other car-hiring services such as Uber and Didi Kuaidi.

A notice posted on a Shenzhen taxi says drivers are not allowed to refuse passengers unless they are off duty, on the way to pick up another passenger or they are feeling unwell. Photo: Weibo.

The report said local government officials, the police and taxi company management staff have made efforts to “appease” the taxi drivers to prevent the strike from turning into a bigger movement.

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Vivienne Zeng

Vivienne Zeng is a journalist from China with three years' experience covering Hong Kong and mainland affairs. She has an MA in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Her work has been featured on outlets such as Al Jazeera+ and MSNBC.