Provisional price control to take effect during Expo period

Shanghai will impose provisional price control on local hotels, online car-hailing services and specific public parking lots during the first China International Import and Expo scheduled to take place in the city from Nov 5 to 10, the local government said in a statement on Wednesday.

The price intervention will take effect between Oct 26 and Nov 14.

According to the statement, the prices of hotel rooms on online and offline trading channels during the expo period should not exceed the highest price of similar rooms and services charged during the same time last year.

Newly-opened hotels should refer to the prices offered by hotels of similar levels and in similar areas, the statement added. Local hotels have also been informed that they must report their rates to related authorities.

For local car-hailing service providers, the prices for different car types should not surpass their prices from the day before the price control takes effect. Service providers should also not raise their fees after the price control takes effect.

Meanwhile, public parking lots in the six districts close to the expo venue – Qingpu, Minhang, Changning, Jiading, Putuo and Songjiang – should not charge prices higher than what they report to authorities before the price intervention. New parking lots should charge no more than the ceiling prices advised by the government.

The statement noted that offenders will be punished.

Individuals and organizations can report service providers who flout the guidelines by calling the hotline 12358 or filing a complaint at http://12358.ndrc.gov.cn.

Jin Tiantian contributed to this story