Suspension of Didi private car services spurs controversy

By Wu Jin
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, May 25, 2016
Adjust font size:

Didi Chuxing, a car-booking mobile app owned by Didi Kuaidi, is shown on a mobile phone. [Photo/Xinhua] 

Didi Chuxing, China's popular taxi booking app, which received US $1-billion in investment funds from Apple Inc., is meeting administrative intervention in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, where it has been strictly prohibited.

The Taiyuan Government recently issued a circular in an attempt to regulate the local taxi market by ruling out unlicensed taxi services. It encouraged people to report unregistered taxis and promised to reward them with 100 yuan (US$15.2) each as long as those reports are valid and can be supported by evidence.

The Passenger Transport Department in Taiyuan has triggered considerable controversies across the country, as the words "Shanxi Didi" have been searched more than 2.3 million times.

An unlicensed taxi driver will be fined by 5,000 to 10,000 yuan.

Didi Chuxing, developed by Beijing Orange Technology Co Ltd, was launched on Sept. 9, 2012, in a bid to rake in the market by tapping the gap between the growing demand and insufficient supply of taxi service.

On March 19, 2016, orders of the app exceeded 10 million in a single day , which made the online mobile service the second largest internet platform, after Taobao.com, an online shopping platform.

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter