JD.com likely to tap into ride-hailing service market

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has reportedly tapped into the ride-hailing business, according to local media.

Jiangsu Jingdong Information Technology Co., Ltd., a logistics subsidiary owned by JD.com, updated its business scope on China's National Enterprise Credit Information Public System. The official website reveals that such businesses as online taxi booking, vehicle and auto parts sales as well as public transportation service have been added this time.

Founded on June 16, 2009, Jiangsu Jingdong Information Technology mainly focuses on JD.com's express delivery business. In 2010, it procured the express delivery qualification from China's State Post Burea with the validity period lasting from September 29, 2010 to September 28, 2015. The company has 298 branches across China, covering such provinces as Shangdong, Shaanxi, Hubei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian, etc, according to a website providing enterprise information checking service.

Some analysts said JD.com intends to build a ride-hailing freight platform with similar operational mode to Didi depending on the company's powerful logistics system and rich logistic vehicle resources.

Prior to JD.com's participation, on-line service provider Meituan officially launched its ride-hailing service on March 21 in Shanghai and has operated in several cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing.

The current ride-hailing market in China is absolutely dominated by Didi. Although it is hard to tell now whether the JD.com or Meituan's intrusion will threaten Didi's predominance in this market, more options to be offered is a good thing to consumers.