The National Development and Reform Commission has issued a notice encouraging local government departments to blacklist people who exhibit bad social behavior in the transportation sector. The notice was issued on Aug 27.

Bad behavior can include a range of actions, from disrupting social order to smoking on a train or carrying a banned item — a weapon, for example — aboard a train or aircraft.

Businesses with bad credit records can also be blacklisted and publicized as a warning to potential partners.

The notice said the campaign includes roads, railways, civil aviation, urban transportation and water-related misbehavior.

The campaign will take gradual steps to punish bad behavior and bad credit, the notice said. In the first stage, it will target enterprises that provide road and water transportation, taxi companies (including ride-hailing services) and misbehaving rail and aviation passengers.

In the second stage, the campaign will target bus and taxi drivers.

Local government entities, including those overseeing transport and public security — and including development and reform commissions at lower levels — will issue notices demanding a written commitment within 15 workdays to correct bad behavior or credit. The departments will report to the National Development and Reform Commission to update and publicize the blacklist on national credit information platforms.

The campaign, which focuses on the transportation and travel sectors, is part of a broader move to improve behavior, toughen sanctions on wrongdoers and enhance public security and order amid an ongoing national campaign promoting Chinese credibility.

Wu Chungeng, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, said on Aug 24 at a news conference that the ministry is studying a draft credit system for the taxi industry to regulate taxis and car-hailing services.

The notice came after two recent heated cases, one involving a man who took a woman’s seat on a bullet train and refused to vacate it when requested. The man has been banned from rail travel. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly killed by a Didi Chuxing driver on Aug 24. The accused driver had been reported for harassment before. He has been detained.

On Aug 26, representatives of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security spoke with Didi Chuxing and ordered it to conduct a thorough internal investigation.