Oleksandr Kosheliev, a Ukrainian student at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, wanted to drive when he came to China to study in 2013.

"The examination for getting a driver's license in China was so difficult. I was not good at the Chinese language and I was unable to prepare for the written test," Kosheliev said.

But after studying Chinese for six years at a university in Wuhan, Hubei province, Kosheliev, 25, became fluent in Mandarin.

"When I was studying Chinese I got an idea of creating an online application to allow foreigners to better prepare for the driver's license written test," he said.

Kosheliev, in cooperation with his friends, opened a company and later developed an app, Laowaidrive, which has proved profitable in recent years.

"I am not the developer, but I came up with this idea and made it with my team," Kosheliev said.

Many foreigners are eager to drive in China, and the app helps them prepare for questions on the driver's license test, according to Kosheliev.

He said the app was "a full preparation for the examination", adding that there are a variety of modes and feedback on practice tests to help applicants pass the exam.

Laowaidrive has more than 20,000 users, all of them foreigners living in China.

"Every day almost 200 to 300 foreigners are using Laowaidrive, with many people downloading the app," he said.

The app has all the questions to the driver's license written test in nine languages - English, Korean, Russian, French, German, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese.

Users say Laowaidrive has been a great aid in helping them obtain a driver's license in China.

"I used the app for about one week and took the exam, scoring 98. Questions were exactly the same," said an app user named "Canada guy in Beijing" on iTunes.

A user named "kmer4ever" said: "It is a great app. I'm preparing for my driver's license test, and I am quite confident about it thanks to this app."

Kosheliev, who began a three-year master's degree at the South China University of Technology this year thanked his teachers and the university for the opportunities he has had in China.

"After graduation, I hope to start a new business in China. I like China and life here," he said.