Chinese company Didi has officially launched its ride-hailing service in Mexico, currently one of Uber’s strongholds. After experiencing an auspicious start in China, the company plans to expand its services to other countries in its global expansion plan.
Chinese company Didi has officially launched its ride-hailing service in Mexico, currently one of Uber’s strongholds. After experiencing an auspicious start in China, the company plans to expand its services to other countries in its global expansion plan. The first debut location will be in Toluca, which sets up an exciting battle with other ride-hailing services in a growing Latin American market.
Didi has dominated the Chinese market and has already shown high numbers against Uber in their home country. Although the company hasn’t had much expansion outside of their native land, they did recently acquire Brazilian company 99 earlier this year and also announced plans to partner with SoftBank in Japan to launch another ride-hailing platform within the next year.
According to Reuters, “Didi said teams in Mexico, Beijing, and California studied the Mexican market to adapt Didi’s algorithms and other ride-service technologies for the local market, addressing issues such as crime.” The company plans to introduce new safety features, which includes an emergency alert button in the mobile app that will connect drivers and passengers with local police or other emergency contacts if they ever come across a dangerous situation during their ride. This new addition is a safety precaution for both customers and drivers, while also helping to track a passenger’s itinerary.
Didi will aim to enter an entirely new market and compete with existing ride-hailing giants, but their future seems optimistic with the company’s innovative outlook on the industry. With success back home in China, it will be interesting to see how they will hold up in an entirely new market.
