“At most, we have subsidized more than 10 million US dollars a day.†On November 29th, Cheng Wei, founder and CEO of Didi Taxi, publicly stated in a forum.
In the recent period, the capricious subsidy has made Didi hit a big hit, but it also pushed its "brothers" - the drip service launched in August this year to the cusp of public opinion and supervision.
At the end of October, the Shenyang Municipal Transportation Bureau made it clear that the special service such as Didi Special Vehicle was illegally operated, and said that once it was investigated, it will be treated according to the “black car†and will be punished. According to media reports, on November 19, the Nanjing Municipal Administration stated that vehicles owned by non-car rental companies such as private cars and car parks may not provide paid car rental operations.
For a time, news such as “Drip special car was stopped by many places†and “Drip special car was recognized as illegal operation†was reprinted by many media and triggered public concern: “Special car†is “black car� Should the car service for taxi software be stopped?
Didi Special Bus: I didn't think about rushing with taxis According to media reports, before the introduction of the above policies in Nanjing, the special car service was boycotted by local taxi drivers. They asked for taxi software to stop the car business, otherwise they would be collectively uninstalled. Some insiders believe that the practice of Nanjing management may be related to the "protest" of taxi drivers.
In this regard, the "special car" feels aggrieved.
The person in charge of the relevant department of Didi Special Vehicle told China Economic Weekly, "The car never wants to go to the taxi to grab business. Didi does not want to be a taxi company or replace the taxi company. The mobile platform is designed to match the information of the rental company's vehicles and passengers. In addition, the Drip Special Vehicle does not cooperate with private cars and trailers. Their cooperation is only for car rental companies (providing cars) and labor dispatch companies ( Provide drivers).
It is understood that the current standard for drip buses in Beijing is the starting price of 17 yuan, which is charged at 3.5 yuan per kilometer. When the speed is lower than 12 kilometers, it is charged at 1 yuan per minute. The charge is higher than the taxi, but the service is more thoughtful than the taxi.
On December 2nd, the reporter of China Economic Weekly subscribed for a special car service through Drip Punch Software. Three minutes later, a Volkswagen Passat came over and the driver Mr. Huang got off the car and opened the door. Mr. Huang is dressed in white shirts, blue trousers, black shoes and white gloves. The car is clean and tidy, and the back row is equipped with free mineral water, band-aid, motion sickness medicine, and cool oil. On the way, Mr. Huang told the China Economic Weekly reporter: "The company asked passengers to bow before the passengers boarded the car, but I feel weird, I have not done so, please forgive me."
Because the passengers will pay the rating of the car driver after paying the bill, in order not to be "bad", the driver will find ways to improve the quality of service. Mr. Huang told the China Economic Weekly reporter that both the motion sickness medicine and the band-aid, the company did not have mandatory requirements, which he prepared for the passengers.
Mr. Huang felt inexplicable for the phenomenon that some city car services were stopped. He told reporters that the vast majority of consumers are almost using taxi software to take a taxi, and only when they can't get a taxi, they will choose a special car service. “The car is positioned at a higher end, so it will not affect taxi drivers and taxi companies,†he said.
The person in charge of the relevant department of Didi Special Vehicle also told China Economic Weekly. According to its internal statistics, nearly 40% of the calls of Didi taxis are not satisfied in the country. The taxi capacity is insufficient and the market is very large. Therefore, There are cases of special cars and taxis to grab business.
Black car? smart transportation?
In Beijing, although the car service has not been boycotted by taxi drivers, their attitude seems to be less friendly. The reporter interviewed three taxi drivers randomly, one did not hear about the "special car", and the other two said that even if the car is to grab business, it does not matter, one of the grandsons told China Economic Weekly, " The number of private cars is too small, and it is estimated that it is difficult to grab a taxi business."
Regarding the taxi driver and the “black car†of the Shenyang Municipal Transportation Bureau, Mr. Huang said that he was “very speechlessâ€. "The car is from a leasing company. I am a labor company. The service is the best. Why do you want to label us like this?"
An insider of Didi Special Vehicle told China Economic Weekly that Didi's car pricing is transparent and security is unquestionable. The driver of the car will undergo a rigorous review before applying for it. Before the job, the driver will receive standardized service training. In addition, the taxi software page and the car have the driver's ID number, telephone number and name. If there is any discrepancy, the passenger can report it at any time. “Once an accident occurs, the taxi software on the drip car can help the company locate and track the vehicle. These are not available in general taxis.â€
The person in charge of the relevant department of Didi Special Vehicle told China Economic Weekly, “With the development of society, consumers need more and more personalized travel services, and the special car complements the public transportation and taxi single travel mode. It enriches the choice of consumers.†He said that some companies want to welcome important customers, but the company’s own cars are not enough, and the taxis are too ordinary. At this time, relatively high-end cars become a good choice. .
In some big cities abroad, similar booking car rental services have become very common. At present, there are 39,800 car rentals in New York, which is three times that of ordinary taxis; there are 49,000 car rentals in London, which is 2.3 times that of ordinary taxis. Booking a car rental is part of the city's very active transportation.
“This is intelligent transportation, revitalizing the idle vehicles of the leasing company, revitalizing social resources and allowing them to serve passengers precisely. This not only improves people's travel efficiency, but also reduces traffic congestion. Why not?†In terms of Drip Special Vehicles, the future mobile platform will not only include taxi and special car services, but also include carpooling, BRT services, and even the “last mile†of public transportation.
The Ministry of Communications will once again investigate the "Drip Special Train"
Although some local government administrations have made a clear statement on the special car service, “once they are investigated, they will be treated according to the 'black car' and will be punished.†However, after the statement, it seems that no practical measures have been taken.
An industry insider told China Economic Weekly, which reflects the contradiction of some local government managers. The emergence of special car services will inevitably touch the original interest pattern. Some managers are used to protecting the "tradition" and eager to characterize the car. But at the same time, they are full of expectations for the mobile travel platform, hoping to help them solve the city's traffic problems, so they are reluctant to take practical measures. This contradictory psychology has caused the current phenomenon of "prohibition without stopping."
After Shenyang characterized the car as a "black car", although Mr. Huang did not agree with it, he still squeezed a sweat. "If this is done all over the country, I can't eat this bowl of rice." Mr. Huang said that taxis need to pay thousands of dollars a month, and the special car is not used, so the revenue of the car is "satisfactory". I can't bear the job.
"Don't kill with a stick." On November 27th, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications made a statement at the regular press conference, and finally gave Mr. Huang and the car service company a reassurance. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications has set an inclusive tone for the car software service - "Mobile Internet booking car service to meet market high quality, diversification, and differential demand, promote market resource allocation, ease travel problems, etc. Certain positive effects."
In response to some of the problems raised by previous public opinions, such as the unclear application of laws and regulations, accidents, insurance, etc., the spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications put forward the principle of "people-oriented, encourage innovation, benefit and avoid harm, standardize management" and said In the next step, the Ministry of Communications will conduct research on different modes and development directions of various types of Internet booking car services.
It is understood that in October this year, the person in charge of the relevant departments of the Ministry of Communications visited the company headquarters of the Didi Special Vehicle. The person in charge of the relevant department of Didi Special Vehicle said that the Ministry of Communications has decided to investigate the Didi Special Vehicle again. Although the investigation time is still unclear, the company is very much looking forward to it.