Passengers can blacklist a driver in China’s biggest ride-hailing app

But users doubt whether Didi Chuxing’s latest feature will really improve safety

Didi Chuxing

Xinmei Shen

Published: 7:23pm, 11 Oct, 2018

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This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Did your last trip in a ride-hailing car make you feel unsafe? China’s biggest ride-hailing app will allow you to blacklist that driver so you won’t get matched with them for a year.

It’s the latest safety measure from Didi Chuxing, as it tries to overhaul itself after two passengers were killed by drivers this year. But users say the new move isn’t good enough.

Didi Chuxing taking competition with nemesis Uber abroad

Starting from next week, Didi will allow passengers and drivers to blacklist each other. That means, for the following 12 months, they won’t be matched in a ride again with that person.

It’s one of a number of measures to improve passenger safety and regain trust in the wake of those deaths.

Over the past few weeks, Didi has suspended its carpooling service, made drivers answer safety-related questions on the app every day before they started taking orders, and has sent its chief executives on the streets to ask random people about how they want Didi to improve.

Didi’s safety overhaul met with skepticism from users

But some of its attempts have not impressed users, including this latest one.

“Being blocked by other users doesn’t mean they’re blocked on the platform, and it’s not likely to stop bad guys from doing things,” one top comment says.

People are also pointing out that it’s already rare to be matched with the same driver twice. “What’s the point in doing this, like they’re planning to harass the same person twice?” another user says.

Many users suggest that the company take it further, and terminate people who have been blacklisted multiple times.

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