DiDi s a Chinese e-hailing company that is headquartered in Beijing, China with over 550 million users.
This new expansion follows a successful pilot launch in Gqeberha on 1 March 2021. Since then, more than 2,000 drivers in the city have already downloaded the DiDi Drivers app.
Lyn Ma, DiDi's general manager for Africa, says: “The pandemic has had a huge impact in South Africa and has rapidly changed our lives. As such, we decided to launch the DiDi platform in the country to mobilise recovery and reconstruction.”
DiDi has safety features such as including facial recognition for drivers, SOS buttons for riders and drivers linked to the local police, 24/7 support via a dedicated safety hotline, preview information for riders and drivers, and safety training for drivers, among others.
Since February 2020, DiDi’s anti-Covid experience has reportedly created strong and positive results in addressing local challenges by:
DiDi’s Hero, Express, and Care services compete with Uber and Bolt’s standard and luxury options. DiDi Go drivers can operate with smaller and older cars, similar to Uber and Bolt’s budget Go services. These include hatchbacks with four seats from 2013 and later, in addition to sedan models going back to 2011.
