Three days after the second murder in 3 months on their platform, Didi has been summoned by local authorities in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Wuhan, Guiyang, and Haikou, following meetings demanded by Beijing, Tianjin, and Nanjing on August 27th.
“These two vicious incidents that have violated the life and safety of passengers has exposed the gaping operational loopholes of the Didi Chuxing platform,” the Ministry of Transport said in a statement, ordering the ride-hailing company to improve its driver vetting and education process among other demands.
Local authorities across the country also released a list of requirements following the central government’s criticism towards Didi.
The Shenzhen government warned that if Didi refuses or fails to address its security loopholes by the end of September, the company will face possible punishment including revocation of business license and removal of the app from app stores.
The Chongqing government also listed 11 demands including integrating data of all vehicles and drivers into a government-supervised platform.
Wuhan’s public security bureau and the transport committee summoned Didi and 8 other ride-hailing platforms, urging online rental services to instate a stricter the training and education process for drivers and demanding Didi’s active cooperation with the security departments.
Guiyang transport authority also called in Didi, Shouqi, Shenzhou, Shenma and other online rental platforms for questioning. Authorities ordered Didi to stop accepting unauthorized vehicles and drivers onto its platform, and ride-hailing apps to implement an “emergency SOS button” feature in apps.
On August 24, a gruesome murder of a 20-year-old woman by her driver on Didi Chuxing’s popular carpool service Hitch stunned the Chinese public. This is the second murder in three months after a flight attendant was killed in May by a driver using the same Hitch service.
Since the incident, Didi has come under fire from the media, the public, and government authorities. Local authorities across ten cities in China have called out on Didi demanding the ride-hailing giant to take immediate actions.
After the incident, Didi apologized for making “disappointing mistakes” and fired two of its top executives. The Hitch carpool service is currently suspended.