Didi Hitch is a ride-sharing app.
This is how it works: a passenger sends a request through the app. A driver headed in the passenger’s direction indicates his willingness to share the ride using the app. Driver and passenger then pick a spot to meet.
The passenger is supposed to give the driver a small sum for petrol money.
“Didi Hitch offers users a pleasant experience when it comes to sharing and developing relationships,” Liu Qing, president of Didi Chuxing, told the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
“It may well become the new norm for eco-friendly living.”
Ride sharing is most often used for commuting to and from work in China.
Didi Hitch features a hashtag that allows drivers and passengers to endorse each other after a trip.
Many big cities in the mainland, including Beijing, have been grappling with air pollution and traffic congestion.
A few have been forced to limit the number of new licenses to stop the situation from getting worse.
Car sharing comes in handy as a means to improve traffic flow and reduce carbon emissions.
The service is available in more than 300 Chinese cities.
About three million drivers have registered. There is still a long way to go compared with the country’s motorist population of 300 million.
But over time, when more drivers and passengers get accustomed to the idea, mainlanders would be able to enjoy fresher air, save on transportation costs, cut the commuting time and perhaps even make new friends.
That’s practically killing four birds with one stone.
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