The number of illegal ride-hailing cars has decreased significantly following a crackdown by the city's traffic authority.

On April 19 just 20 illegal cars were busted, while the number was 116 two weeks ago.

The law enforcement team of the city’s transportation commission said they will continue street inspections, especially at the three train stations and two airports.

They will also keep a close eye on ride-hailing providers to make sure illegal cars are weeded out.

Following instruction from the authority, Didi Chuxing has banned 18,000 illegal online ride-hailing cars since April 14.

The company appealed to passengers to help weed out illegal cars. “Passengers can refuse to board or pay for the trip and report it directly to customer service,” said Wang Mingze, a staff member from Didi. “Once verified, the passenger will be rewarded a 100 yuan (US$16) coupon.”

Didi admitted that some illegal drivers used a loophole to register without the proper documents, but the company has promised to strengthen the verification process to stop unlicensed drivers from taking advantage of the system.