Ride-Hailing Giant Didi Chuxing To Launch C2C Car Rental Service
According to Jiemian, Chinese Ride-Hailing Giant Didi Chuxing (Didi) will launch its new C2C car rental service based on its newly built Delivery Centers. The service is said to include both long-term and short-term rentals, and will be test run in Shanghai, Shenzhen and their surrounding regions until its official launch in April. Didi’s spokesperson denied that the company has such plans and maintained current rental cars are all from partnered companies.
Didi canceled its finance lease service and built multiple Delivery Centers in late 2019. At the same time, Didi updated its DP (Driver Partner) position to DMP (Driver Management Partner), who will not only manage drivers signed to partner leasing companies but individual drivers joined through the Didi platform.
With the new Delivery Centers in place, Didi drivers and third-party leasing companies can sign deals online and get their vehicle vetted at the center. Before, the contract was signed offline and cars were vetted by the leasing company. Through the new procedure, Didi strengthened control over both the drivers and the vehicles, which laid a solid foundation for its new C2C car rental business.
Chen Ding, chief manager of Xiaoju, Didi’s car service platform, told media that the company planned to open at least 40 Delivery Centers across China, covering 80% of the car rental market by the end of 2019.
Didi launched its B2C car rental service in 2016, with all cars offered by third party leasing companies that negotiated partnerships with Didi.
According to LatePost, Didi recently announced its new 3-year goals referred to as “0188” in an all-personnel letter: Over 100 million rides each day, 8% penetration rate in Chinese national transportation, and 800 million global active monthly users. The new C2C car rental service could serve as an important pillar towards achieving these goals.
