Briefing: Didi to continue suspending carpooling service despite high travel demand nationwide

滴滴出行举行乘客意见征求会 顺风车仍持续无限期下线 – Tencent Tech

What happened: On the afternoon on October 6, Didi invited driver and customer representatives to an internal discussion on ride-hailing safety, service, and driver management. The company decided to continue the suspension of their carpooling function. The discussion centered around safety issues on the drivers’ side – allowing only cars with video recording equipment to pick-up drunk passengers and setting up special report mechanisms were two possible solutions discussed. Didi’s CEO Cheng Wei, President Liu Qing, CTO Zhang Bo, and other high-level officers attended the discussion.

Why it’s important: Public safety pressure and carpooling service suspension will reduce Didi’s passenger absorption capability, and add an extra burden to any profitability plans. Meanwhile, the situation could force Didi to give up sizeable market share and allow competitors to fill the service vacuum, considering the large ride-hailing market. However, criticism concerning safety has raised the market-entry threshold.

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