Injured cyclist wins compensation from car-hailing company

A Beijing court has ordered a car-hailing company to compensate a cyclist who was injured by one of its passengers.

The passenger, surnamed Yan, opened a car door into the cyclist, surnamed Qin, on June 17, injuring her and damaging her bike.

Qin subsequently brought the car-hailing platform, its insurance company, Yan and the driver of the car, surnamed Liao, to court. She was seeking 43,000 yuan ($6,240) compensation.

After hearing the case, Beijing Haidian District People's Court announced on Wednesday that Qin was due about 13,000 yuan to cover her medical fees and any damages, which would be paid by the insurance company.

"Considering Yan's mistake and the contract between the car-hailing platform and the driver, we also asked Yan and the car-hailing company to pay about 4,000 yuan compensation at the same time, to protect Qin's rights," said You Xiaofei, a judge of the court.

He said this was the first time he had heard a case involving a car-hailing company and an injured resident.

However, disputes relating to car-hailing services are becoming increasingly common, as they gain in popularity.

In 2015, the court heard one such dispute, "but in the first six months of this year, we've accepted six similar cases", You said, adding the number will likely only increase following the issuance of a guideline on car-hailing services in July.

The guideline, which was issued in response to the State Council's decision to officially recognize car-hailing services this summer, aims to standardize the business.

Issued by the Ministry of Transportation, the draft lays out standards for ride-hailing services, and bans them from operating at airports and railway stations.

It also asks drivers providing ride-hailing services to be licensed by the authority and suggests that their cars should be equipped with wireless internet for customers, phone charges and tissues, none of which regular taxis are required to have.