https://www.scmp.com/rss/326121/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wency Chen Wency Chen Meituan, China’s largest on-demand local services provider, said its 7.45 million delivery workers drew 80 billion yuan (US$11.3 billion) in total income from the platform last year, company co-founder and chief executive Wang Xing said in an internal letter on Tuesday. About 4.5 million of those delivery workers are also covered with insurance for occupational injury, a nationwide pilot programme that was initiated in 2022 for people in gig-economy jobs, according to the letter. The internal... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3278990/chinese-demand-services-giant-meituans-delivery-workers-earn-us11-billion-2023-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3278990/chinese-demand-services-giant-meituans-delivery-workers-earn-us11-billion-2023-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Pakistan’s transgender community has gotten its first ride-sharing service in the latest effort to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, the business’ founder said on Wednesday. The new ride-share was launched over the weekend in the country’s cultural capital of Lahore. It is called SheDrives and will service only trans people and women, the company’s chief executive Ammaz Farooqi said. For now, it will service only Lahore, but expansion is possible, Farooqi said. There are... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3278126/pakistans-transgender-community-get-its-first-ride-sharing-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3278126/pakistans-transgender-community-get-its-first-ride-sharing-service?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:07:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Uber Technologies-backed Lime is entering Japan’s growing e-scooter ride market in a foray that pits the San Francisco-based start-up against home-grown Luup. Lime, which has a global fleet of around 200,000 e-bikes and scooters, on Monday launched its service in some of Tokyo’s most densely populated neighbourhoods of Shibuya, Shinjuku, Meguro and Setagaya wards. Lime now has around 200 electric scooters and more than 40 recharging ports. Tokyo-based Luup, which controls more than 90 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3275115/uber-backed-e-scooter-start-lime-enters-japan-after-korea-exit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3275115/uber-backed-e-scooter-start-lime-enters-japan-after-korea-exit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2024 02:45:09 +0000 Australian taxi drivers affected by the rise of ride-sharing giant Uber have won US$178 million in compensation, their lawyers said on Monday after settling a gruelling legal battle. More than 8,000 taxi drivers and hire-car owners banded together to launch legal action in 2019, arguing they lost substantial income when Uber entered Australia in 2012. Lead lawyer Michael Donelly said the A$271.8 million (US$178.3 million) settlement was the “fifth-highest class action settlement in Australian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3255763/taxi-drivers-australia-win-us178-million-payout-uber-legal-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3255763/taxi-drivers-australia-win-us178-million-payout-uber-legal-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:32:09 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has reported a widespread service breakdown affecting users across major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, according to the company and its users. The Beijing-based company apologised for the app outage late on Monday, blaming it on a “system failure” in a post published on Didi’s account on Chinese microblogging service Weibo. The statement came hours after the service disruption affected some of its 400 million users in China, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3243071/ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-apologises-widespread-service-outage-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3243071/ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-apologises-widespread-service-outage-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:09 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing on Monday reported a 25 per cent year-on-year revenue jump in the third quarter, marking a return to profit on the back of a rebound in its home market and a sharpened business focus. Sales at the Beijing-based company reached 51.4 billion yuan (US$7 billion) in the quarter ended September 30, thanks to double-digit growth in both its China mobility and international businesses. The China mobility segment, which makes up the bulk of Didi’s business, raked... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3241386/didi-posts-first-quarterly-profit-ill-fated-new-york-ipo-amid-recovery-chinese-ride-hailing-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3241386/didi-posts-first-quarterly-profit-ill-fated-new-york-ipo-amid-recovery-chinese-ride-hailing-market?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2023 14:00:19 +0000 WeWork, the SoftBank Group-backed start-up whose meteoric rise and fall reshaped the office sector globally, sought US bankruptcy protection on Monday, after its bets on companies using more of its office-sharing space soured. The move represents an admission by SoftBank, the Japanese technology group that owns about 60 per cent of WeWork and has invested billions of dollars in its turnaround, that the company cannot survive unless it renegotiates its pricey leases in bankruptcy. WeWork China... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3240587/softbanks-wework-once-most-valuable-us-start-succumbs-bankruptcy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3240587/softbanks-wework-once-most-valuable-us-start-succumbs-bankruptcy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2023 03:27:28 +0000 Hybrid work arrangements are likely to persist and become irreversible in the foreseeable future, a trend that is spurring landlords and asset owners to convert traditional office spaces into flexible offices, according to the CEO of IWG, one of the world’s largest flex desk service providers. Globally, companies and organisations are allowing as much as half of their staff to adopt flexible work arrangements, including some combination of working from home, working at a desk in a remote... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3234723/hong-kong-office-landlords-grapple-irreversible-hybrid-work-trend-amid-high-vacancy-rates-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3234723/hong-kong-office-landlords-grapple-irreversible-hybrid-work-trend-amid-high-vacancy-rates-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Sep 2023 02:00:17 +0000 Hong Kong has the most expensive rates for flexible or co-working space in the Asia-Pacific region, and prices are likely to rise further this year as demand is set to increase by a fifth, according to a report by flexible office space provider The Instant Group. With a monthly average of US$609 per desk, Hong Kong tops the 13 Asia-Pacific cities tracked in the study. Rates in the other cities in the region ranged from US$339 to US$545. After Hong Kong, Shanghai has the second most expensive... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3234137/hong-kong-has-asia-pacifics-highest-prices-co-working-space-while-demand-flex-desks-surges-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3234137/hong-kong-has-asia-pacifics-highest-prices-co-working-space-while-demand-flex-desks-surges-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2023 09:30:26 +0000 Uber Technologies said on Wednesday it would focus on delivering profits this year, after rounding off 2022 with blowout earnings as a surge in demand for airport and office rides helped the company rebound from pandemic lows. Uber’s shares rose nearly 4 per cent after the rideshare giant reported a surprise fourth-quarter profit and chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi reassured investors that the impact of the pandemic was “well and truly behind” the company. “Despite any macroeconomic... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3209589/uber-focuses-2023-profits-pandemic-pain-eases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3209589/uber-focuses-2023-profits-pandemic-pain-eases?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:38:20 +0000 The main app of Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has returned to China’s iOS and Android app stores, a crucial step for the company to fully resume its business after Beijing banned it from registering new users for 18 months. The Didi Chuxing app returned to Apple’s store on Thursday, while the Android version was restored by Wednesday on various local platforms, including Huawei’s AppGallery and Xiaomi’s GetApps, according to a person familiar with the matter, who declined to be named... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207554/didi-chuxings-main-app-returns-apple-android-app-stores-china-after-beijing-gives-green-light-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207554/didi-chuxings-main-app-returns-apple-android-app-stores-china-after-beijing-gives-green-light-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jan 2023 08:45:10 +0000 Didi Chuxing’s resumption of new user registrations augurs well for the Chinese ride-hailing giant’s business outlook this year, even as it faces rival services that have gained a larger foothold during its 18-month hiatus, according to analysts. The Beijing-based company said on Monday that it was immediately resuming new user sign-ups with the approval of the cybersecurity regulator, ending a ban that started in July 2021. Its main app will soon become available on China’s app stores again,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207113/didis-relaunch-user-sign-ups-bodes-well-its-ride-hailing-business-regulatory-scrutiny-persists-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207113/didis-relaunch-user-sign-ups-bodes-well-its-ride-hailing-business-regulatory-scrutiny-persists-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:30:09 +0000 Didi Chuxing on Monday resumed new user registrations in the world’s largest ride-hailing market, nearly 18 months since regulators ordered a halt to customer enrolment in line with a cybersecurity review of the company. “With the consent of the Cyber Security Review Office, new user registrations in the Didi Chuxing app will resume immediately,” the company announced on its official account on Chinese microblogging service Weibo. “Over the past year or so, we have carefully cooperated with the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207005/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-resumes-new-user-registrations-marking-latest-sign-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3207005/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-resumes-new-user-registrations-marking-latest-sign-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:40:50 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has initiated a new round of lay-offs affecting hundreds of jobs, according to two people familiar with the matter, as the country’s Big Tech companies continue their restructuring efforts ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The job cuts will cover nearly every department in Beijing-based Didi, including its ride hailing, overseas business and risk management operations. Compensation for the dismissed employees will be calculated based on the number of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3206562/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-said-start-new-round-lay-offs-affecting-hundreds-jobs-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3206562/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-said-start-new-round-lay-offs-affecting-hundreds-jobs-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:30:19 +0000 Chinese short video and social media giant ByteDance is quietly expanding service offerings on the domestic version of TikTok, in its latest attempt to turn the app’s popularity into profit. Douyin, TikTok’s mainland Chinese version, has started offering ride-hailing services, including T3Go, through its mini-app platform. The move could stir up fresh competition in a market bruised by an onslaught of regulatory crackdowns and pandemic restrictions over the past few years. That new initiative,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3204604/bytedance-jumps-ride-hailing-china-douyin-monetisation-push-local-services-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3204604/bytedance-jumps-ride-hailing-china-douyin-monetisation-push-local-services-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Dec 2022 01:00:21 +0000 Many believe surge pricing helps drivers on ride-sharing platforms earn more. But research conducted by myself and other academics suggests it can hurt many gig drivers, especially full-timers. In surge pricing, used by Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing platforms, fares go up when rider demand in an area exceeds driver supply. By encouraging more drivers to come online when needed, surge pricing balances supply and demand. This appears mutually beneficial. Impatient riders pay more and spend... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3196831/does-surge-pricing-really-help-ride-sharing-drivers-earn-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3196831/does-surge-pricing-really-help-ride-sharing-drivers-earn-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Oct 2022 19:30:08 +0000 Operators of co-living spaces in Hong Kong, who have endured more than two years of lower rents and suppressed occupancy rates because of the Covid-19 pandemic, remain optimistic about the segment’s prospects. Rents for co-living units – which typically offer a private bedroom along with communal living spaces, without a long rental contract – have declined by as much as a quarter over the last three years, according to one analyst. Another says 40 per cent of co-living units in Hong Kong have... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3189876/hong-kong-co-living-operators-endure-covid-19-hit-invest-capacity-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3189876/hong-kong-co-living-operators-endure-covid-19-hit-invest-capacity-while?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:30:14 +0000 US home rentals firm Airbnb is pulling out of mainland China, home to one of its least profitable markets, citing challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, it said in a note posted on its website on Tuesday. The company, which has faced fierce local competition, said it will concentrate on serving the Chinese market by providing options for accommodation when Chinese people travel out of the country. “In the face of the challenges of the epidemic, we reconsidered and made this difficult... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3178971/airbnb-exits-china-beijings-tough-covid-19-containment-measures-add-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3178971/airbnb-exits-china-beijings-tough-covid-19-containment-measures-add-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2022 10:05:30 +0000 An emotional letter “begging” for good reviews from passengers written by a nine-year-old Chinese girl for her father, a ride-hailing driver, touched the hearts of tens of thousands beyond the inside of the car. The letter revealed that the family is under immense financial pressure because the girl, Hanhan, has organic encephalopathy, affecting the brain’s function. In the letter, Hanhan said she fell into a coma following a series of seizures one day in September 2021. She was later diagnosed... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3174919/give-chubby-driver-good-review-daughters-letter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3174919/give-chubby-driver-good-review-daughters-letter?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2022 01:00:17 +0000 Shared living spaces operator Weave Living has, with an unnamed global real estate asset manager, acquired the 435-room Rosedale Hotel in Kowloon for HK$1.37 billion (US$175 million), it said on Tuesday. The acquisition is part of a US$200 million joint venture, of which Weave will own 10 per cent, said Sachin Doshi, the Hong Kong-based company’s founder and group CEO. It will also be the asset, development and operations manager of the venture and its assets. “Weave Living has been looking at... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3173164/hong-kong-shared-living-firm-weave-unnamed-property-manager-acquire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3173164/hong-kong-shared-living-firm-weave-unnamed-property-manager-acquire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Apr 2022 12:15:16 +0000 More mergers and acquisitions (M&As) were in store for the co-working sector in Hong Kong amid rising demand for flexible offices, analysts said. As more firms implement a return to offices or hybrid work arrangements, flexible co-working spaces might prove to be a better option for them than traditional offices. “We have already seen a lot of activity around M&As and investment into the sector, and expect this to continue,” said Jonathan Wright, director of flexible workspace consulting at... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3172251/hong-kong-eases-covid-19-curbs-co-working-operators-hunt-more-acquisitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3172251/hong-kong-eases-covid-19-curbs-co-working-operators-hunt-more-acquisitions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:23 +0000 Working from home and in a dire need of a suitable space to get some work done without distractions? Booths launched by Hong Kong co-working space operator theDesk in malls across the city might just be what you’re looking for. The size of a typical phone kiosk, these booths or studios come equipped with a desk, bar stool, power sockets and Wi-fi access. And, as part of a pilot programme, access is free as of now. Users just need to download theDesk2Go app, register and book a booth. “It’s free... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145588/quiet-spot-hong-kong-price-coffee-thedesks-co-working-booths-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145588/quiet-spot-hong-kong-price-coffee-thedesks-co-working-booths-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:30:27 +0000 The Chinese government’s unprecedented probes into Didi-Chuxing, also involving public security investigators, have gummed up business operations at the platform that dominated 90 per cent of the country’s ride-hailing industry, according to several employees. Engineers and product managers at the Beijing company, whose smartphone apps were removed from Android and Apple app stores in early July, are now busy writing up patches to close what Chinese regulators called technical loopholes in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145249/didis-business-slows-break-neck-pace-site-probes-chinas-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145249/didis-business-slows-break-neck-pace-site-probes-chinas-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 04:02:00 +0000 Didi Chuxing granted its senior executives and directors US$3 billion in stock options during the second quarter, just ahead of the company’s US$4.4 billion initial public offering (IPO) in New York last month. Under the company’s equity incentive plan, an unnamed group of executives and directors received 66.7 million share options with a “nominal exercise price” per share, with the bulk of the options going to senior management on an “accelerated and vested fully” basis, the company said in an... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3140142/didis-shares-dip-below-offer-price-not-ride-hailing-app-granted-us3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3140142/didis-shares-dip-below-offer-price-not-ride-hailing-app-granted-us3?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jul 2021 07:30:20 +0000 Didi Chuxing has applied to raise up to US$4 billion in New York, as China’s dominant ride-hailing app pushes ahead with the largest initial public offering (IPO) by a Chinese company in the United States since 2014 under a cloud of antitrust investigations at home. The Beijing-based company, filing under the name Xiaoju Kuaizhi, plans to sell 288 million American depositary shares (ADS) at between US$13 and US$14 each, according to a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138683/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-plans-raise-us4-billion-us-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138683/chinese-ride-hailing-giant-didi-chuxing-plans-raise-us4-billion-us-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jun 2021 01:32:58 +0000 In the third instalment of a four-part series on China’s antitrust crackdown on technology companies, Masha Borak looks at the ride-hailing industry and its dominant operator Didi-Chuxing. The first instalment on streaming music is here and the second instalment on games is here. On April 30, the day before China was to begin a five-day stretch of public holidays to mark the annual Labour Day, 10 of the country’s largest technology companies were each slapped with a financial penalty by the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137912/china-antitrust-didis-ride-hailing-dominance-prompts-scrutiny-it-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137912/china-antitrust-didis-ride-hailing-dominance-prompts-scrutiny-it-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +0000 Meituan, operator of China’s largest food delivery and local services platform, reported a 120.9 per cent revenue increase in the first quarter, as the company vowed to deepen its dialogue with antitrust regulators amid an investigation into the company’s operations. “We believe that the government supervision on anti-monopoly practices will benefit the healthy development of the whole internet industry, and promote fair competition and prevent misconduct,” said Wang Xing, Meituan’s founder and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3135225/food-delivery-giant-meituan-posts-first-quarter-revenue-growth-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3135225/food-delivery-giant-meituan-posts-first-quarter-revenue-growth-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 May 2021 09:04:53 +0000 Chinese authorities have summoned 10 online ride-hailing providers, including Didi Chuxing and Meituan, urging them to charge commissions fairly and transparently, in Beijing’s latest efforts to crack down on malpractices by the country’s internet platforms. A group of eight regulators – including the Ministry of Transport, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology – lectured representatives from the companies on Friday and ordered them to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133614/beijing-orders-meituan-didi-chuxing-and-other-ride-hailing-providers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133614/beijing-orders-meituan-didi-chuxing-and-other-ride-hailing-providers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 May 2021 11:00:17 +0000 Power bank rental company Energy Monster plans to expand its mobile device charging services operation in China, as it pursues an initial public offering in the US amid the strong recovery in the world’s second-largest economy and biggest smartphone market. Shanghai-based Energy Monster, through holding company Smart Share Global, filed its application to go public on the Nasdaq stock market on Friday to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm did not provide the amount it plans to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3125545/energy-monster-ipo-chinese-power-bank-rental-firm-bucks-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3125545/energy-monster-ipo-chinese-power-bank-rental-firm-bucks-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:00:15 +0000 A group of Uber drivers are entitled to worker rights such as the minimum wage, Britain’s Supreme Court decided on Friday in a blow to the ride-hailing service that could have ramifications for millions of others in the gig economy. In a case led by two drivers, a London employment tribunal ruled in 2016 that they were entitled to benefits such as paid holidays and rest breaks. Uber drivers are currently treated as self-employed, meaning that by law they are only afforded minimal protections, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3122421/britains-supreme-court-rules-uber-drivers-are-employees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3122421/britains-supreme-court-rules-uber-drivers-are-employees?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:58:21 +0000 Chinese food delivery giant Ele.me is facing a backlash on social media after the platform initially said it could only pay 2,000 yuan (US$309) in compensation to the family of a courier who collapsed on the job, sparking a debate over worker’s rights in the gig economy era. Under pressure from the public, the food delivery platform has increased accident insurance via its crowdsourced on-demand logistics service, Fengniao Zhongbao. In a statement on Friday night, Ele.me said the insurance... https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3117000/chinas-eleme-stirs-outcry-after-initial-low-compensation-delivery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3117000/chinas-eleme-stirs-outcry-after-initial-low-compensation-delivery?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 12:00:02 +0000 Chinese car-pool service providers Hellobike and Dida Chuxing said that they will modify their platforms after receiving a government warning, led by the Ministry of Transport, for suspicion of “engaging in online ride-sharing business in the name of car-pooling”. In separate statements on Thursday, Shanghai-based Hellobike and Beijing-based Dida Chuxing said that they will “rectify” operations, ensuring that their car-pool drivers will not be able to monitor the orders of nearby riders and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3113423/car-pooling-firms-hellobike-dida-chuxing-update-service-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3113423/car-pooling-firms-hellobike-dida-chuxing-update-service-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2020 12:00:17 +0000 One of the unique successes in China’s sharing economy has been power bank rentals, but police in China have recently warned that the mobile battery packs keeping users’ smartphones charged up could also spread malware. The online security department of the Ministry of Public Security warned on its official WeChat account on Sunday that power banks could potentially be used to transmit Trojan horses and other types of malware, especially power banks of unknown origin. Once a smartphone is... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3112824/police-warn-shared-power-banks-could-transmit-viruses-industry-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3112824/police-warn-shared-power-banks-could-transmit-viruses-industry-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2020 12:01:13 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing launched what it says is the world’s first electric vehicle (EV) developed for ride-sharing as the company aims to increase ride-sharing from 3 per cent of total mobility services today to 30 per cent by 2030. Didi said the D1, which was co-developed with China’s biggest EV maker BYD, will be rolled out to drivers via its leasing partners in Changsha, Hunan province, in December before being introduced to other cities in coming months. Didi declined to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/3110132/chinas-didi-chuxing-launches-first-electric-vehicle-tailored-ride?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/3110132/chinas-didi-chuxing-launches-first-electric-vehicle-tailored-ride?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Nov 2020 03:20:28 +0000 Three years after China’s blooming bike-sharing economy wilted, local authorities are about to send the last of 25 million abandoned bicycles to recycling plants, pruning the remaining blight on cityscapes left behind by dozens of companies that have gone bust. All the disused bicycles must be scrapped by the year’s end under a compulsory retirement scheme imposed by city councils to ensure safety. The costs of taking them off the streets and the bicycle graveyards are borne by taxpayers, as all... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3103908/what-happens-discarded-bikes-chinas-sharing-boom-taxpayers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3103908/what-happens-discarded-bikes-chinas-sharing-boom-taxpayers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2020 05:00:11 +0000 The personal computer just got a little less personal. China, already known as the capital of shared bikes and power banks, will soon launch the first shared laptop scheme thanks to a limited promotion from Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. Honor is best known for its affordable line of smartphones, but it also has a budget laptop brand called MagicBook. This is the laptop that people will be able to borrow during China’s upcoming national holiday that runs from October 1 to 8, the company announced on... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103347/shared-laptops-are-latest-sharing-economy-idea-huaweis-honor-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103347/shared-laptops-are-latest-sharing-economy-idea-huaweis-honor-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2020 21:00:19 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing could potentially achieve a higher valuation when it goes public, according to analysts, following the company’s latest international expansion into Russia. The Beijing-based company, which ranks as China’s second-biggest unicorn behind TikTok owner ByteDance, launched its Didi Express service on August 25 in Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in the east-central part of European Russia. This marks the latest foreign-market foothold for Didi after... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100133/didi-chuxing-valuation-could-rise-amid-international-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100133/didi-chuxing-valuation-could-rise-amid-international-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:28:45 +0000 The coronavirus pandemic is forcing a hotel and a co-working space operators to collaborate in a whole new way, one that involves profit sharing instead of the traditional tenant-landlord relationship. Hong Kong-based co-working company theDesk is now occupying 6,600 sq ft in the Hong Kong hotel group Shangri-La’s Kerry Hotel in the city’s Hung Hom district. The model “allows us to have tighter collaboration and interest alignment with our partners”, Thomas Hui, theDesk’s chief executive and... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3097302/hong-kong-co-working-operator-thedesk-kerry-hotel-start-profit-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3097302/hong-kong-co-working-operator-thedesk-kerry-hotel-start-profit-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Aug 2020 00:30:13 +0000 The outlook for the shared office segments in Hong Kong and Guangzhou is gloomy, with demand likely to decrease as the economic slump brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic forces companies to reassess their need for bigger work spaces, according to Colliers International. The office markets in the two cities – both part of Beijing’s Greater Bay Area initiative – will be challenging this year, said a report by the property consultancy. The Executive Centre, which provides flexible office space... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3095939/hong-kong-shared-office-operator-tec-bets-greater-bay-area-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3095939/hong-kong-shared-office-operator-tec-bets-greater-bay-area-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2020 23:00:11 +0000 Every Tuesday and Thursday, Inkstone Explains unravels the ideas and context behind the headlines to help you understand news about China. They are fast, quiet, fashionable, and taking over the streets of America. The popularity of electric mopeds has spiked in major US cities in less than a year, driven largely by the popularity of moped sharing services.  Renters jump on mopeds for thrills (it can go up to 30 miles per hour) as well as convenience. The mopeds first caught on in Brooklyn, New... https://www.scmp.com/tech/inkstone-explains-niu-chinese-moped-company-has-taken-over-streets-america/article/3095185?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/inkstone-explains-niu-chinese-moped-company-has-taken-over-streets-america/article/3095185?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jul 2020 10:03:01 +0000 A personal assistant arrested on Friday in the slaying of a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur who was found dismembered inside his luxury New York condo was believed to have owed his boss a “significant amount of money”, police said. Tyrese Haspil, 21, of Brooklyn, faces a murder charge in the death of Fahim Saleh, whose beheaded body was found Tuesday afternoon by a relative who had gone to his apartment to check on him. Haspil had handled finances and personal matters for Saleh, whose ventures... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3093716/suspect-arrested-gruesome-murder-tech-ceo-fahim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3093716/suspect-arrested-gruesome-murder-tech-ceo-fahim?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2020 15:15:11 +0000 Media interest in Hong Kong’s struggling gig economy has intensified over the past 12 months, as freelancers and casual workers lost jobs amid the disruptions caused by anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study. The inaugural Hong Kong tech trends report from ClearStory International, a Dublin-based communications agency, said local media coverage on the gig economy increased 67 per cent to 429 online articles from April 2019 to May this year. By comparison,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3089459/hong-kongs-gig-economy-media-spotlight-freelancers-casual-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3089459/hong-kongs-gig-economy-media-spotlight-freelancers-casual-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2020 12:17:57 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Didi Chuxing says it’s removing protective plastic screens from its fleet. They were initially put in place more than three months ago to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading between drivers and passengers. In a Weibo post, the Chinese ride-hailing giant said it spent about 100 million yuan (US$14.1 million) adding the safety equipment to cars in 330 cities nationwide. Citing reduced pandemic risk, Didi says the program -- available... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088412/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088412/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 07:26:20 +0000 Didi Chuxing says it’s removing protective plastic screens from its fleet. They were initially put in place more than three months ago to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading between drivers and passengers. In a Weibo post, the Chinese ride-hailing giant said it spent about 100 million yuan (US$14.1 million) adding the safety equipment to cars in 330 cities nationwide. Citing reduced pandemic risk, Didi says the program -- available free-of-charge to participating drivers -- has ended in... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china/article/3088379?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china/article/3088379?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 07:26:18 +0000 Didi Chuxing, China’s biggest ride-hailing company which counts SoftBank as a backer, saw its ride sharing orders in China this month recover to levels seen over the same period a year earlier, its founder and Chief Executive Cheng Wei said. Didi’s peak daily ride sharing orders surpassed 30 million, Cheng said in a statement on Saturday, adding that the company’s bike sharing business, Didi Bike, saw daily orders reaching 10 million. The recovery in orders comes as most of China has reopened... https://www.scmp.com/tech/didi-says-ride-hailing-returns-pre-pandemic-levels/article/3088045?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/didi-says-ride-hailing-returns-pre-pandemic-levels/article/3088045?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 00:00:18 +0000 Not so long ago, the shared karaoke booths next to the Shenzhen restaurant where Liu Lijuan works were packed at the weekend with young people looking to blow off some steam after working long shifts in China’s southern tech heartland. By scanning a QR code on the door, the tiny booths allowed groups of friends to enter and sing their favorite songs together for a few hours. But times have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic. “They’ve been empty most of the time since February,” said Liu, a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/karaoke-booths-ride-hailing-chinas-sharing-economy-taking-hit-pandemic/article/3086960?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/karaoke-booths-ride-hailing-chinas-sharing-economy-taking-hit-pandemic/article/3086960?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 08:41:15 +0000 Some experts argue against the precautions taken to contain Covid-19. They claim millions die from flu and tuberculosis every year, so why this global fear? There is also an economic argument, a Trumpism that goes: “The cure cannot be worse than the problem.”   It is important to disabuse this notion. A recent paper titled “Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: Evidence from the 1918 Flu”, by economists Sergio Correia, Stephan Luck and Emil Verner, found fewer deaths... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3086530/coronavirus-challenge-offers-opportunity-learn-history-and-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3086530/coronavirus-challenge-offers-opportunity-learn-history-and-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2020 02:45:06 +0000 Didi Chuxing-backed Bolt Technology closed a new funding round to bolster its main business and services launched to deal with the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, driving up the Estonian ride-hailing company’s value to 1.7 billion euros (US$1.9 billion). Bolt, formerly known as Taxify, a rival to Uber Technologies, received 100 million euros from Naya Capital Management, bringing total funds raised by the company to more than 300 million euros, it said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.... https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/3086172/ride-hailing-firm-bolt-backed-chinas-didi-chuxing-valued-us19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/3086172/ride-hailing-firm-bolt-backed-chinas-didi-chuxing-valued-us19?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 13:07:00 +0000 Manila resident Pam Pastor thought getting a cake for her mother’s 61st birthday was going to be easy. But when she called the bakery on Tuesday morning all the Mango Bravo cakes were already sold out. That’s when Pastor noticed posts on the shop’s Facebook page offering her mother’s favourite cake for sale. Reluctantly, she agreed to buy, even though there was a 20 per cent mark-up. “I was desperate,” she said. The posts had been written by personal shoppers, resellers who had queued up at the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3084539/philippines-shopping-strangers-offers-gig-workers-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3084539/philippines-shopping-strangers-offers-gig-workers-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 09:00:15 +0000 WeWork, the US real estate firm, is returning about 20 per cent of its Hong Kong premises to their owners, as start-ups, small enterprises and other short-term tenants failed to take up its offering of shared working space in the city. It has given up 182,000 sq ft in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, two of Hong Kong’s prime office districts, according to agents familiar with the matter. Two floors in Hysan Place in Causeway bay and six floors in Sun Life Tower in Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3084074/wework-dumps-about-fifth-coworking-space-breach-leases-signed-major-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3084074/wework-dumps-about-fifth-coworking-space-breach-leases-signed-major-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2020 01:00:16 +0000