Deregulation has promoted competition in the transport industry and helped improve consumer benefits, the Transport Ministry said in an annual white paper released Friday.
The positive changes, however, are expected to cause a few inconveniences. The report cites as a positive example the 1986 adoption of a "double and triple tracking" policy, which allowed two or three airlines to compete on one route in the domestic air industry, stimulating competition among the carriers.
Similarly, in the taxi industry, the zone fare system is helping to improve consumer convenience by lowering overall fares and increasing fare choices. In addition, the decontrols have led to different fares among carriers and an increase in rival firms.
However, the changes have also made it difficult for private firms to maintain unprofitable services in the countryside where demand is limited, and may inconvenience rural residents in the coming years, the paper says.
As an urgent task, the paper urges further promotion of environmentally friendly measures in the transport industry as public attention to issues such as global warming and marine pollution grows.