Didi beefs up safety for riders, drivers

Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing plans to invest more than 2 billion yuan ($291 million) this year to strengthen safety mechanisms for passengers and drivers on its platform.

The move came as Didi has been putting safety at the top of its agenda for more than a year after a passenger was killed by a driver while using the “hitch” service on its platform.

Didi said on Thursday that it will step up investment to increase the safety management of drivers, perfect user complaint procedures and prevent criminal incidents from happening. The company’s safety work team has been expanded to more than 2,500 employees.

The company also unveiled a special protection plan for women passengers, who account for 50 percent of its “hitch” service’s users. The “hitch” service allows a passenger to connect with a private car heading in the same direction and Didi said it has no plan to officially resume the service, which was suspended after the criminal incident.