Skip to main content

Didi Chuxing ready to go global with English app, international credit cards

didi softbank japan chuxing png
Uber may be out of the game in China, but that doesn’t mean that Americans and other English speakers are out of luck. Didi Chuxing, China’s homegrown ridesharing service (which successfully pushed Travis Kalanick’s empire out of the country last year) has now introduced an English language app for riders in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. And while the tourist-friendly app is starting in those three cities, Didi plans to unveil the app in other parts of China as well as it pushes toward further expansion and internationalization.

The app has actually been in testing mode since February of this year, and boasts a suite of features that will make getting around China a breeze, even with the language barrier. The app has a message-translating service that will let riders communicate directly with drivers, even if they don’t speak the same language. The real-time translation function will doubtless help Didi compete against traditional taxi services, at least insofar as foreign business is concerned.

Related Videos

Moreover, Didi has also made it possible for users to register with a Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, United States, or Brazil phone number. This marks a departure from its long-held previous stance of requiring a Chinese mobile number in order to set up an account. And finally, the company will also begin accepting “major international credit cards,” so you don’t have to get a WeChat Wallet or Alipay just to take a ride.

“The internationalization of local services is an important part of Didi’s global strategy,” the company said in a statement. Indeed, Didi hopes that it will soon be in countries beyond China, as the South China Morning Post reported that the firm had established an international division to look into exploring new markets. Part of the motivation to go abroad has to do with bureaucratic pressures in China, Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, told the Financial Times. He noted, “[Didi has] to expand abroad because they’re being hit by the regulators at home.”

Already, Didi has moved into South America by way of a partnership with Brazilian ridesharing service 99. So look out, Uber and Lyft. Didi may be coming for you on your home turf, too.

Editors' Recommendations

TikTok just launched a new way for you to make money on the app
Person's hand holding a smartphone with TikTok's logo on screen, all in front of a blurred background.

There are already a handful of ways for content creators to make money using TikTok, but now the app is adding a brand new way for creators to monetize their content with the newly introduced TikTok Series.

Announced today in a TikTok blog post, Series are the same types of videos you'd normally find on the app, but they are hidden behind a paywall that individual creators can set. This means that delivering premium content on TikTok is easier than ever before for both creators and their audiences.

Read more
You paid too much money for your Pixel Watch — and Google knows it
The Google Pixel Watch's crown.

A new report has revealed the profit margins for the Google Pixel Watch, and it looks like Google is taking home a lot more than its competitors.

According to a report from Counterpoint Research, it costs Google $123 to build a single Pixel Watch (specifically, the 4G LTE variant), which Google charges $400 for. When compared to the profit margins for similar devices, it feels like Google has some explaining to do.

Read more
Apple cracks down on ChatGPT apps with harsh age ratings
App Store on-screen illustration

Apple is in a deadlock with email app BlueMail over its decision to give the app's latest update an age restriction of 17 and older due to its ChatGPT integration.

Apple is currently blocking the update because the app's developer Blix Inc. disagrees with the company's stance to give BlueMail an age restriction, having rejected the brand's update application last week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Read more