Advertisement
Can real names make China's ride hailing services safer?
China’s Uber rival Didi Chuxing explores requiring passengers to sign up with national ID
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
This article originally appeared on ABACUS
In some places around the world, bad Uber ratings can get a rider banned from the service. But what if that customer later signs up for another account using a new phone number? Well, Didi Chuxing thinks it has a solution.
Didi Chuxing taking competition with nemesis Uber abroad
The Chinese ride-hailing giant is currently running an online poll about the idea: Should passengers be required to register with their real names and national ID?
(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba -- a backer of Didi Chuxing.)
The question didn’t come out of nowhere. The company has been experimenting with various ways to soothe safety concerns, following two murders last year. At least two female riders on its Hitch service (a carpooling function similar to Uber Pool and Lyft’s Share Rides) were raped and killed.
One measure allows customers and drivers to blacklist each other, so they won’t be matched again in the next 12 months.
It looks like many of those who responded to the poll support introducing real name registration.
“There can be bad people among drivers, as there can be good people among passengers. That’s why both sides should be subject to strict requirements. Real name registration is necessary,” wrote the top-voted comment.
Advertisement