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Didi to spend $20 million on customer service after passenger murders
Didi Chuxing will spend $20 million on measures meant to fortify its customer service, according to Reuters. The Chinese ride-hailing firm's founder, Cheng Wei, announced the investment to a group of government regulators who visited Didi's offices for a nationwide inspection triggered by a harrowing incident wherein one of its drivers raped and killed a female passenger. Didi halted its carpooling service across the country after authorities confirmed the event, which occurred on August 24th, and after an investigation revealed that it could've been prevented if the company has better customer service.
Didi halts carpooling across China after passenger's murder
Didi Chuxing has suspended its Hitch carpooling service across all of China in the wake of a driver raping and killing a passenger on August 24th. The ridesharing company wanted time to address the "many deficiencies" with its customer service approach that appear to have cost the victim her life, including the "cumbersome and rigid" process of sharing information with police. A customer had complained to Didi about the the driver's sexually threatening behavior a day before, but the company didn't follow through with an investigation that might have banned the driver in time to prevent the tragedy.
Didi passenger murdered following safety policy failure
Didi Chuxing's safety issues still aren't over. Police have confirmed that a driver for the service raped and killed a woman passenger in Wenzhou, China on August 24th. The ridesharing company said it was "deeply sorry" for the incident in a statement, but acknowledged that its safety protections fell short. From an initial glance, it appeared that the tragedy was avoidable.
China’s Didi restricts some rides to same-sex drivers
Last month, a passenger using Didi Chuxing's carpooling service Hitch was allegedly killed by a driver using his father's account. Since then, the company has been rolling out new safety measures for its ridesharing platforms including updates to its emergency help feature and making driver facial recognition verification mandatory for each Hitch trip. Didi also stopped allowing Hitch trips between the hours of 10PM and 6AM as it considered additional measures. Now, Reuters reports, the company is extending its hours but will only allow late-night and early-morning rides between drivers and passengers of the same sex.
Didi sets new ridesharing safety measures following murder
China's Didi Chuxing is rolling out new safety measures for its Hitch carpooling service after a driver allegedly killed a passenger last week. Drivers will need to verify their identities through facial recognition before each trip -- the alleged murderer, who was also found dead over the weekend, was using his father's Hitch account when he picked up the victim. Drivers using Didi's other ridesharing programs must pass a facial recognition test before each shift as well.
Didi Chuxing receives permit to test self-driving cars in California
You might not hail a ride from China's Didi Chuxing unless you visit Mexico, but there's still a real chance you'll see its vehicles on the road. California's Department of Motor Vehicles has issued an autonomous vehicle testing permit to Didi's American research wing, clearing it to operate self-driving cars as long as there's a safety driver. The move comes slightly over a year after Didi opened its US research lab, suggesting the company isn't wasting much time putting its technology on the road.
Murder case prompts China's Didi Chuxing to halt Hitch ridesharing
When it comes to ridesharing companies, the safety of passengers is a universal concern. In China, Didi Chuxing, the country's biggest ridesharing company, is stopping service for one week following the death of a female passenger. The victim, a 21-year-old flight attendant, was murdered, and the ridesharing driver is the main suspect. He still hasn't been caught, according to Reuters.
China’s ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing recruits drivers in Mexico
In December, Reuters reported that China's Didi Chuxing ride-hailing company would be expanding its business into Mexico, taking on rival Uber, which has the largest foothold in the country. Now, Reuters reports that the company is actively recruiting drivers and plans a launch in Toluca, Mexico. Sources familiar with the plan said Didi's ride-hailing app would go live this month. To get people on board, Didi will not take a cut of drivers' fares until June 17th and those who recruit other drivers and passengers will get a bonus. When it does start taking a cut of fares, Didi's portion will be 20 percent, below the 25 percent Uber takes in Mexico.
Uber is reportedly preparing to sell its Southeast Asia business
Late last year Uber sold off its business in China to a competitor, and now it looks like the Southeast Asia region could follow a similar path. CNBC reports that it's preparing to make a deal with Grab, a company that claimed to have 95 percent of ride-hailing business in the region last year. Grab was in the middle of raising a $2.5 billion round of investments from sources including (recent Uber investor) Softbank when it made that claim, and the rumored deal would give Uber a "sizable" stake in its competitor. If this happens, it could, like the company's settlement with Waymo over trade secrets, help Uber pave the way for an IPO soon.
Renault-Nissan and Didi plan self-driving ride service in China
Didi, the company that purchased the rights to Uber in China, plans to build an electric, autonomous ride-sharing service with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and other automakers. The two companies are currently in the exploration stages, but Renault said it will launch "robo-vehicle ride-hailing services" with Didi as part of its Alliance 2022 strategic plan.
Uber will soon have to compete with China's Didi Chuxing in Mexico
China's major ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing is expanding its services to Mexico, Reuters reports. This will be Didi's first international expansion and sources told Reuters that the company is planning to launch in Mexico during the first quarter of 2018, though exactly where in the country wasn't made clear.
'Partner' Didi Chuxing is freezing Uber out of Southeast Asia
Part of Uber's sky-high $70 billion valuation was due to its optimism about expansion in China, India and other parts of Asia. However, its China adventure was a money bonfire that finished when it sold out to rival Didi Chuxing for $1 billion. Its plans for expansion to Thailand, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia also took a blow as its China "partner" Didi, along with Softbank, just invested $2 billion in regional arch-rival Grab.
China ridesharing giant opens a self-driving car lab in the US
Didi's ever-expanding ridesharing empire might be centered in China, but it's still willing to head overseas to advance its goals. The company is opening an AI lab in Mountain View, California for the sake of its self-driving car ambitions. This doesn't mean that Didi's about to launch in the US (outside of its Lyft partnership), of course -- rather, it's to attract talent in a hotbed of autonomous driving research. And in at least one case, it appears to have scored a coup.
Uber's app no longer works in China
Uber has parted ways with its Chinese subsidiary, which is going to prove problematic for tourists looking to hail a ride in the Middle Kingdom. As part of the deal that saw Uber China merge with Didi Chuxing, the global Uber app has been disentangled from its localized Chinese form. Instead, users will now need to download and install a dedicated Uber China app, but that's not the hardest part.
China's largest ride-hailing company is investing in bicycles
The largest ride-hailing service in China just made a big investment in a different kind of transportation program: bicycle sharing. According to a report from TechCrunch, DiDi Chuxing is kicking off a "multi-layered partnership" with Ofo -- an app-based bicycle sharing outfit with a network of over 70,000 bikes in 20 cities. The details of the investment are pretty bare, but DiDi Chuxing says the companies will "explore strategic cooperation in urban rideshare, including offering a quality bike-sharing experience on DiDi's platform." In other words, the company's ride-hailing app may include a bicycle rental option in the near future.
Uber China merges with rival Didi Chuxing
Uber has agreed to sell its Uber China arm to arch rival Didi Chuxing in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the merged operation, confirming reports from Bloomberg and others. The combined company is reportedly worth $35 billion, giving Uber a $7 billion share. "Uber and Didi Chuxing are investing billions of dollars in China and both companies have yet to turn a profit there," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a leaked blog post.
Ride-hailing apps like Uber will be legal in China soon
Considering how much business Uber does in China, it's kind of hard to imagine that ride-hailing apps aren't exactly legal in the country. Well, they weren't, but they're about to be. Chinese regulators have passed a new law that clears up the legal grey area companies like Uber and Didi Chuxing operate in. Starting on November 1st, ride-hailing apps will be legal, so long as they follow a few rules.
There's more money in on-demand taxis than going to Mars
NASA's annual budget for the 2015 fiscal year is $18.5 billion, a figure that you should bear in mind when we talk about the ride-hailing app business. It's because Didi Chuxing, more commonly known as the Uber of China, is now worth $28 billion, or 1.5 2016 NASAs. The ride-hailing service you only know about because Apple invested in it has recently closed yet another funding round. This time, it's convinced investors to pump a further $7.3 billion into its war chest, setting itself up nicely for the transportation arms race that's to come.
Apple's bet on Uber's Chinese rival makes plenty of sense
Early this morning, Apple announced it's spending $1 billion for a stake in the Chinese Uber-like ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing, purportedly for "strategic reasons." But what is Didi, and why is Apple investing so heavily to get a piece of it?
Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi
In a bid to better understand China, Apple has announced a $1 billion investment in Chinese Uber-like service, Didi Chuxing. The country's homegrown ride-hailing service already has plenty of cash, and was recently valued at over $25 billion. According to Reuters, it has 87 percent of the market of private car hailing across China. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the investment would help the company better understand the Chinese market -- oh and it's about cars.
