Guangzhou snaps up car-hailing app Ru yue to compete with Uber, Didi Chuxing on home turf
After trial-run operation, local transport authorities to buy app from state-owned subsidiary but residents complain of high fees; government will run it together with four local taxi operators and use veteran cabbies as drivers
Transport authorities in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou will spend over 1.35 million yuan (US$207,200) to purchase an Uber-like car-hailing app designed and operated by a local government subsidiary, the Nanfang Daily reported this week.
Called Ru yue, which translates as “right on schedule”, the app has been operating on a trial basis since late last year. It has already amassed more than 40,000 users and a fleet of 660 licenced vehicles controlled by four local taxi operators, the report said.
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The fleet was less than half this size in November and consisted mostly of Toyota Camrys and Nissan models, according to earlier reports by the same newspaper.
It was initially only available for use by officials of the city’s municipal transport authority, political advisers, and deputies to the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress, the paper said.
The state-owned subsidiary is called Guangzhou Communication Information Construction Investment and Operation Co., Ltd. It operates under the Guangzhou Transport Committee.