‘hitchhikers’ to drivers willing to help

Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing firm, is partnering with a nonprofit organization to help migrant workers go home during the Spring Festival travel rush — the largest annual human migration in the world.

The eve of the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 27 this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people. About 3 billion trips are expected during the annual travel peak from Jan 13 to Feb 21, official data show.

The urge to head home puts a huge strain on public transport, making train tickets from cities to less developed regions some of the most hard-to-get items.

With this in mind, Didi launched its Shunfengche, or “hitchhiking” project to help people share rides. It matches car owners who are willing to offer a free ride with those needing a lift, based on departure points and destinations.

When it comes to migrant workers, most of whom don’t know how to buy train tickets online, Didi also partnered with Facilitator, a Beijing-based nonprofit organization which focuses on helping migrant workers, to help them return home via Shunfengche.

Li Zhen, a volunteer at Facilitator, said: “For migrant workers who spend most of their time far away from home, it is of utmost importance for them to reunite with families during the Spring Festival.”

“But the high price of train tickets and long working hours make it difficult for them to secure a proper ticket,” Li said. “We hope

Ride sharing is the most effective way to meet people’s growing transportation needs, given the limited resources.” Liu Qing, president of Didi the expected number of trips during the annual travel peak from Jan 13 to Feb 21