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Traffic authorities estimate that the number of people acquiring driving licenses in the city this year is likely to hit a colossal 150,000-plus, nearly a decade after a similar peak.
In the first wave in 1992-1993, more than 180,000 people rushed to join driving classes to become taxi drivers. But the present craze is a result of a buying spree for private cars.
"In the early 1990's, the aim of gaining a driving license was to get a job, while now people dream of driving their own cars," said Lu Tinghao of the training administrative department under the Shanghai Land Transportation Administration Office.
According to Lu, until last Sunday, 140,000 people had got their driving licenses, which equals the whole of last year. The administration revealed that the figures for 2000 and 1999 were 120,000 and 100,000 respectively, while a total of 110,000 people got their driving permits between 1949 and 1987.
The figures are directly proportional to economic data, reflecting a soaring "desire to drive." China's vehicle sales rose 36 percent to 2.66 million units in the first 10 months this year, with passenger car sales up 52 percent to 908,100, stimulated by price cuts and new family-car offerings, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.
Cars priced at less than 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) dominate the market, with both production and sales rising 60 percent year-on-year, the association added.
Rising sales have fuelled the training boom, helped in part by a drop of several hundred yuan in driving class fees, now at around 3,000 yuan (US$362.88).
The car-buying spree has had another fallout: Private license plate rates continue to soar.
"There are many more prospective buyers than license tags," said Fan Ganping, deputy general manager of the Shanghai International Commodity Auction Co. Ltd., which con-ducts the monthly auction of plates.
Last Saturday, a total of 4,021 locals submitted sealed bids for 3,200 plates -- the same number of plates sold last month.
The lowest successful bid at the auction rose 4,400 yuan (US$532.23) from last month to 30,800 yuan (US$3,725.61). The average winning bid was 31,210 yuan (US$ 3,775.21), up 4,170 yuan (US$504.41) from a month ago.
(eastday.com November 26, 2002)
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