Alibaba-backed Hellobike aims to take on Didi Chuxing in China’s ride-hailing market
- Hellobike says it is benchmarking its new car-hailing business against market leader Didi Chuxing
- Didi had 30 million monthly active users in September, 10 times more than the second most popular ride-hailing app Shouqi Yueche, according to a report
“Since Hellobike has already cemented its dominance in the two-wheel travel field, our new ride-hailing business will help us stage a new ‘comeback’ story in the four-wheel travel field,” the Shanghai-based company said in a press release on Thursday titled “Hellobike low key tests the waters for ride-hailing, benchmarking against Didi Chuxing in the four-wheel industry”.
The company has already acquired licenses in “multiple cities” in China, started recruiting drivers and recently launched trial operations, according to the statement. A company spokeswoman declined to reveal in which cities the trial will be.
Hellobike said that according to its research, there are limited options for getting taxis, and they can be expensive especially during rush hours and in areas with high demand, such as the central business district. Drivers also often face high commission fees and insufficient orders, particularly in small and medium-sized cities, the statement said.
“We want to create a ride-hailing product that is affordable to ordinary people,” said Jiang Tao, general manager of ride-hailing service at Hellobike, in the statement. “It will be an innovative platform to provide drivers with an additional option and Hellobike will charge a minimum commission compared to other mainstream online ride-hailing players, so as to benefit passengers and drivers.”