Didi to taste “aggregated” car-hailing service by offering platform to third-party operators

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has started a toe-in-the-water exercise in “aggregation platform” by allowing third-party mobility service providers to connect with passengers via Didi's App, according to local media outlets.

（Photo source: Didi Chuxing)

Aside from such existing businesses as DiDi Express and DiDi Premier, the ride-hailing giant will add an access dubbed “the third party” to its App interface, enabling users to hail cars operated by other mobility service providers. It has been confirmed that passengers in Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan Province, are able to use the new function after “Miaozou Dache” was given the access to Didi's platform on May 23 of 2019. 

The collaboration between Didi and the third parties will proceed in this way–third parties will make use of Didi's powerful platform to receive orders at the cost of paying certain numbers of commission to the latter. Meanwhile, drivers and vehicles should be offered by the third parties themselves, according to a person with director knowledge. 

Didi said using the transport capacity from the third parties will help to ease the vehicle shortage when passengers hail cars during the rush hour and enhance users' travelling experience.

Last month, Meituan Dache, the ride-hailing arm of Chinese lifestyle services platform Meituan-Dianping and also a major rival of Didi, expanded its “aggregation” car-hailing service into another 15 cities in China following Nanjing and Shanghai. A number of influential mobility service operators such as Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur, Cao Cao and UCAR have joined Meituan's platform.

Moreover, in July 2018, China-based navigation service provider AutoNavi officially launched its ride-hailing service online and had aggregated 9 platforms by last December.