Didi president, CEO apologize amid scrutiny

RIDE-HAILING platform Didi Chuxing’s president and chief executive officer issued a public apology yesterday as local authorities across China stepped up oversight of Didi over the safety of its services.

Police in two cities also have detained two men accused by Chinese social media users of making offensive remarks about a 20-year-old passenger who was killed by her Didi Chuxing ride-hailing driver last week.

Authorities in south China’s Shenzhen said nearly 5,000 drivers and 2,000 cars registered with Didi were not qualified and ordered the company to address the problem to ensure passenger safety.

Police in Shenzhen said they arrested a 22-year-old man who posted comments in a chat group on Tencent’s messaging service QQ. The group has over 1,000 members and calls itself the “Shenzhen Didi Exchange Group.” The man’s comments “incited indignation of netizens and has caused a seriously adverse social impact,” Shenzhen police said in a statement on Monday.

Traffic authorities in central China’s Wuhan also inspected nine ride-hailing platforms, including Didi, on Monday, ordering them to thoroughly inspect their vehicles and drivers, as well as provide accurate and real-time operation data to the city’s supervision department.

Another 29-year-old man was arrested in Wuhan after he made comments in a QQ group named the “Wuhan Didi Official Group,” Wuhan police said on their official Weibo account on Monday.

Traffic authorities in southwest China’s Chongqing have also ordered Didi’s Chongqing office to obtain a certification for its ride-hailing services within a specified time.

Also yesterday, Didi’s chief executive officer Cheng Wei and president Liu Qing said in a statement they “are deeply grieved and remorseful.”

“Our business expansion and market valuation have become meaningless in the wake of a lost life,” it said.

Didi said it will link its customer hotline to the police emergency call center 110 so police can have first hand information under life threatening situation.

It will also work closely with police and respond actively and efficiently to police’s request for investigation regarding suspicious situation.