China has 312m licensed drivers

China had about 312 million people licensed to drive cars by the end of June, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said in statement on Thursday.

It said there were about 271 million motor vehicles in use by the end of June.

The annual growth rate for licensed drivers and automobiles in use averaged about 9.73 percent and 7.56 percent, respectively, over the past five years, according to the statement.

The rapidly rising numbers have posed challenges to MPS services including traffic safety management and issuing licenses and car plates.

To meet demand, the MPS is piloting a platform which makes use of channels including websites, mobile apps and text messages, in the provinces of Shaanxi, Fujian and Guangdong.

The platform will make it easier for people to complete tasks like reserving driver's license exams and checking out conditions on the road.

According to the statement, the platform will be applied in other parts of China by the end of 2016.