Most striking taxi drivers in Qinghai Province were back at work Thursday, ending a four-day protest over a reported policy change that would shorten their operation rights.

About 2,690 cabs were running in Xining, the provincial capital, Wednesday evening, and more than 3,000 cabs were taking passengers Thursday, according to the municipal communication bureau, the public security bureau, and many taxi drivers.

The city has 5,116 registered cabs that run on odd or even days according to the last number of their license plates.

The drivers stopped work Saturday after a newspaper reported Friday that the province would cut their license periods from 12 years to eight, meaning most of their licenses would expire now or in a year.

Yuan Fuyu, director in the transportation department of the provincial communication administration, Monday called the report "incorrect and misleading." He said the shorter period would only apply to new licenses, and that existing drivers would have unspecified advantages in renewing their licenses.

The old regulation stipulated an 8-year operating period for drivers. The city extended the period to 12 years in 2002 to reflect the odd-even plate number system.

Tan Mingjun, vice director of the municipal communication bureau, said Thursday that there would be no change in the policy.

Police detained 33 people who broke the law during the protest.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2009)