Uber and Didi Kuaidi drivers face violence, blackmail as Chinese car-hailing apps grow in popularity
A number of drivers working for taxi and car-hailing apps in China, including Uber and market-leader Didi Kuaidi, have reported being attacked or subject to attempted blackmail in recent weeks.
The latest incident happened early on Sunday morning in the southern city of Guangzhou, when hundreds of Uber drivers rushed to a street in the city after hearing that four passengers had tried to extort 20,000 yuan (US$3,224) from one of their peers.
Local Uber driver Li Jie told said he was notified that trouble was brewing at around midnight on Sunday via a social media group used by his fellow drivers.
“Drivers in the chat group said that four men were refusing to leave the vehicle unless the driver handed over 20,000 yuan,” he told the South China Morning Post.
“If their demands were not met, they threatened to report to the local transport police that the driver was operating an illegal cab.”
Uber and local car-hailing apps have faced increasing opposition in China from taxi drivers, many of whom feel threatened by how the services are encroaching on their business.
Li said he drove to the scene in Guangzhou and found a band of Uber drivers had parked their cars in the middle of the road, surrounding the four men and causing tailbacks.
Dozens of armed police responded to the disturbance, Li said, adding that rumours spread later that the four had been released from custody with no charges filed.
Neither the driver of the car in question nor the four men could be reached for comment. Local police refused a request to comment.
Several incidents were also reported last week of between the different groups of drivers.
Four taxis with number plates registered in other cities were overturned by local cabbies at about 1:30 am in the city’s downtown. No casualties were reported and police were investigating the case.
Uber now covers nine Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chongqing. According to local media in Guangzhou, over 15,000 private vehicles registered with Uber were operating daily in the city as of mid-last month. Market leader Didi Kuaidi covers 360 cities and has 1.35 million drivers.