Shanghai will start an online car-hailing services platform soon, the first city in China to legalize car-hailing smartphone applications via an official public services function.

To be launched on June 1, the officially backed service will be jointly operated by its traffic and transportation authorities, taxi companies and third-party car hailing service provider Didi Dache.

According to officials, drivers who already use the Didi and Kuaidi apps to take car-hailing orders can join the scheme after Didi Dache, which hosts the two apps, revealed it will join the new platform.