How China’s Didi Chuxing quietly grew into a Latin American ride-hailing giant
- New services introduced at home are now being rolled out in Latin America, where the company claims to have a 30 per cent market share
- CEO Cheng Wei forecast that Didi would be processing 100 million orders per day globally within three years
In January Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing quietly marked its second anniversary in Latin America, where it operates in six countries across the region, serving nearly 20 million registered users and employing 1 million drivers.
Within weeks of that milestone, its home market was in lockdown due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and the company went into crisis mode to respond.
With the lockdowns lifted in China this month, Didi said its business has “bounced back” and that it is making “product adjustments”, including the launch of new services to meet the rising demand for home deliveries from Chinese consumers who are still cautious about shopping in crowded markets and shopping malls.
Some of those services are now being rolled out in Latin America, where the company claims to have a 30 per cent market share. Last month Didi launched ride-hailing services in Panama, the sixth Latin American country where it operates.
“Each market has unique needs and priorities [and] we work to address these needs in collaboration with local authorities and health experts … while borrowing from good practice in China,” a Didi spokesman told the South China Morning Post.
“For instance, free disinfectant distribution and vehicle disinfection stations [are available] across multiple markets. In Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile, we offer free or discounted rides to medical professionals and other frontline workers.”
