Didi by the numbers: ride-hailing firm covered more miles in 2018 than 5 Earth-to-Neptune round-trips

China's largest ride-hailing services operator Didi Chuxing, which forced Uber Technologies out of the country, had a bumpy journey in 2018, as the company’s expansion plans were checked by passenger-death scandals and safety concerns.

As one of the world's most well-funded start-ups, Didi was riding high until two passengers were killed while using its service within the space of three months, putting the brakes on the unicorn’s growth and shining a spotlight on the wider on-demand transport industry in China.

Co-founder and chief executive Cheng Wei apologised for any role the company played in the deaths and said he would place safety as the core value in the company's growth and development, rather than sheer size and profit.

Since the deaths of the two female passengers at the hands of rogue drivers between May and August, Didi has focused on safety overhauls, including in-trip audio recordings by passengers and drivers and in-car panic buttons. Its Hitch service – which pairs drivers and passengers travelling the same route – was suspended indefinitely.

Official data, however, indicated that safety issues are a wider problem in China’s taxi sector. The incidence of crime per 10,000 taxi drivers is 13 times higher than the number for ride-hailing drivers, according to data released by China's Supreme Court in September.