MORE than half of the 100 or so applicants failed examinations for car-hailing service qualifications this week, the city’s transportation authority said yesterday.

They are the first batch to be tested after the city government released rules on car-hailing services last December. The rules impose high thresholds on both drivers and vehicles.

Applicants have to take two tests — one national, one local — each with a maximum score of 100. Applicants have to score at least 80 on both tests to pass.

The national test covers traffic regulations, emergency response after accidents, and knowledge of car maintenance, energy conservation, and fire safety.

The local test is more about practical issues, including familiarity with major roads and tourist spots in Shanghai, useful expressions when serving passengers, and even basic English.

Shanghai has five centers qualified to provide training for the car-hailing tests. The training center operated by Haibo Taxi is one of them.

According to the center, the car-hailing qualification training is welcomed by drivers. “Probably because the low passing rate in other cities, the students take the qualification tests seriously,” an employee, surnamed Gao, said.

The transportation authority said nearly 10,000 applicants had applied for the car-hailing qualifications in Shanghai.