On November 29, 2023, Didi Global, China‘s leading ride-hailing service, faced a significant test of customer loyalty. A system malfunction left many of its 587 million users, predominantly in China, stranded, unable to book rides. This glitch, not a result of a cyberattack but an internal system failure, disrupted services for nearly two days, affecting countless customers.

The Glitch affected just under 600 million users in China

In response, Didi moved swiftly to control the damage. They offered a 10 yuan ($1.40) coupon as an apology to all users and promised to settle any overpayments within 24 hours. This gesture, however, received mixed reactions on Chinese social media. While some appreciated the compensation, others were critical, particularly regarding the coupon’s short validity period ending on December 2.

This incident highlights the delicate balance modern tech companies must maintain between technological advancement and customer satisfaction. Didi’s rapid growth, boasting an average of 31.3 million daily transactions in the third quarter, has not been without its challenges. System upgrades are inevitable and essential for maintaining service quality, but they also pose risks to uninterrupted service, as seen in this case.

Didi’s approach to resolving the issue reflects a commitment to customer service, yet it also raises questions about the readiness of tech giants to handle unexpected technical failures. The mixed reactions from the public indicate that while compensation is appreciated, it might not be enough to assure users of uninterrupted services in the future.

Moving forward, Didi, like many tech companies, faces the task of not only advancing technologically but also building a robust system that minimizes disruptions. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a reliable service, as customer loyalty in the digital age can be as volatile as the technology itself.

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(Via)

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Chinese ride-hailing service giant, DiDi Global, has officially submitted its application for delisting from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 2nd, ITHome (Chinese news site) reports. According to standard operating procedures, the application will be approved and the delisting will take effect immediately after 10 days the application has been submitted.

The company formally filed its Form 25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 2nd to delist its American Depositary Shares.

Earlier on May 23rd 2022, DiDi Global held its extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to decide whether the company should delist from the NYSE amid growing concerns from both external and internal parties. The conclusion was that 96.26% of shareholders who were present and voting, voted in favour of delisting DiDi‘s American Depositary Shares from the NYSE, the company said.

Of the 1.2 billion shares outstanding as of April 28 this year, members holding roughly 811.44 million shares cast their votes in the EGM.

Reuters reported that DiDi has struggled to bring its business back to normal after angering Chinese regulators by pushing ahead with its $4.4 billion New York listing in June last year despite being asked to put it on hold.

Days after DiDi went public on the NYSE, China’s powerful internet watchdog Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a cybersecurity probe into the company’s data practices and ordered app stores to remove 25 mobile apps operated by DiDi.

“It’s the only option for shareholders. They were going to be in purgatory if they (DiDi) persisted in their disobedience to the Chinese government,” reported Reuters, quoting Thomas Hayes, chairman of Green Hill Capital.

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Didi has announced plans to configure Volvo’s XC90 SUVs for its new fleet of autonomous vehicles to be deployed on Chinese roads. The global Robotaxi rollout of the ride-hailing app, which acquired Uber China in 2016, is in line with its business development strategy. The company continues to make investments in deploying autonomous vehicles to Chinese public roads.

Volvo is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, since its acquisition in 2010. The Swedish automaker has a track record of safety and luxury in vehicle manufacturing. Didi will leverage this by combining its self-driving system, called Gemini, with Volvo’s safety and convenience features to produce a car that will no longer need safety drivers, with a backup to bring a car to a halt in situations of system failure.

Didi also offers a range of mobility services and added services like financial services to its drivers, and continues to expand. The company recently flagged its initial public offering of $100 billion, targeting research to enhance and expand its mobility service portfolio to include the driverless XC90 SUVs already customized for autonomous driving.

As should be expected, there is stiff competition in the world’s largest auto market for self-driving vehicles. The Robotaxis was pioneered by AutoX a couple of years ago, and some other companies have entered the market, offering a variety of services to a wide array of customers. Huawei last week also signaled its desires in the market with the unveiling of its homemade HarmonyOS operating system, thus opening new vistas in self-driving and autonomous vehicle development in China.

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(source)

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Didi Chuxing is apparently raising funds for the growth of its autonomous driving unit. The company is seeking to raise 6 billion US Dollars in an attempt to rival Uber, who is trying to diversify beyond its core businesses ahead of an anticipated initial public offering later this year.

According to a SCMP report, the Chinese ride hailing giant is planning on raising about 500 million US Dollars at a valuation of roughly 6 billion US Dollars. As per sources close to the matter, the funds raised will help Didi speed up its mass production of self driving vehicles and invest in technologies like artificial intelligence chips and more. Although, the plans for this fundraising could still change as considerations are at an early stages as per sources.

Unfortunately, a representative from the company declines to comment on this news. The attempt from Didi is an answer to Uber, as the former tries to grow its presence in strategically important sectors like autonomous vehicles prior to the company going public. This is also possible going to be one of the largest tech IPOs across the globe this year.

Furthermore, the company is targeting a valuation above the 62 billion US Dollars it had secured during its latest funding round by accelerating its pace just prior to its debut as a public company within the next quarter. The company began testing autonomous vehicles back in 2016 before separating the unit as a separate company in 2019 and aims on operating over 1 million self driving taxis by the year 2030.

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With 5G technology, autonomous vehicles are fast becoming a reality and Chinese firms are at the forefront. Two of China’s leading self-driving car firms Didi Chuxing and AutoX are reportedly set to launch their own autonomous ride-hailing pilot projects. According to a TecNode report, two sources familiar with the matter hinted that the pilot projects will commence in late May in the outskirts of Shanghai.

The projects run separately even though both firms were reported to have commenced their partnerships with the Shanghai government around the same time.

The race to be among the first to launch commercial autonomous ride-hailing cabs have been raging in China with Pony.ai and Baidu at the forefront. AutoX and Didi are aiming to become among the first to get the nod to commercialize its Robotaxi operations.

When contacted to confirm the news, a company representative told TechNode that Didi was actively testing robo-taxi in Shanghai and hopes to launch the pilot service as soon as possible.

On the other hand, AutoX announced Friday, the opening of what it claimed is Asia’s largest robotaxi operations centre in Shanghai. The centre sits in an area spanning 750 square meters and located in the northwestern Jiading district. The operation is expected to collect and process “petabytes” of driving data from road testing in Shanghai each week. In addition, the operation will also be deployed for performance training simulations in a virtual traffic environment. It will also house facilities to test hardware in climate conditions such as high-pressure water and high temperature.

AutoX claims that users “will soon be able to hail a ride” in its autonomous vehicles but the app is yet to be unveiled.

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UPDATE: Ride Sharing service from Didi between 2300 PM and 0500 AM have resumed since September 15 on a trial special operation plan. Only Express and Premier Drivers with over 6 months of service record and 1000+ safe trips are allowed to serve during this period. This new rule is in effect in addition to the other security requirements. Note that DiDi Hitch is still suspended until the company revamps the service to make it more secure. 

DiDi Chuxing, a highly popular ride-hailing service from China has been indefinitely suspended from carrying out its “DiDi Hitch” carpooling services after the rape and murder of two female passengers. Chinese authorities have also suspended other carpooling services until the firms that run them comply with the safety regulations.

Starting from Sept. 8, DiDi Chuxing has halted its late night Didi Hitch service that runs between 11pm and 5am. The company took the decision to cancel the late night service after the rape and murder of a passenger in August. It is the second such killing after a 21-year older air stewardess was murdered by a driver of the same ride-sharing service.

The driver who was found guilty for the rape in August was the same driver who was reported by a previous female passenger for indecent behavior. However, DiDi had failed to act on the complaint.

The Chinese authorities will be investigating all the other carpooling services and the companies that oversee them. Revised safety policies now require ride-hailing services to show a prompt that reminds riders to access the contact number of emergency services in case of danger. The carpooling apps also need to feature “call police” button that can be immediately used by drivers and riders in emergency situations.

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Platforms are expected to have all the important details of the drivers such as vehicle registration, routes, locations, passenger’s location in real-time and carry out mandatory background checks so that the information can be handed over to the police when required. Ride-hailing services are expected to suspend those drivers and vehicles by the end of this year that do not comply with the new safety policies

Latest information reveals that DiDi will be hiring only those drivers who pass a mandatory security exam. Further, the company has incorporated strict measures to ensure passenger safety.

DiDi requires all drivers to provide their personal ID, valid driver’s license and vehicle registration certificate, and complete documentation verification and facial recognition when registering with the company. It also works closely with law enforcement authorities to conduct background checks on every driver. Only individuals who pass this process can operate on the platform. At the same time, DiDi mandates repeat background checks for its drivers every three months.

The company also records in-car audio of rides for the safety of its passengers.

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