Didi Kuaidi remains the leading car-hailing firm in China. (Photo : www.marsdigest.com)
Amid clamor that some drivers left "Didi Zhuanche," domestic car-hailing firm Didi Kuaidi recently reported that the total number of the platform's registered drivers has continued to increase.
The media reports that claimed the decrease in the said figure came after the company scaled down its subsidies back in August.
"Every day, there are more than 10,000 new registrations from drivers," a member of the firm's PR team told the Global Times on Sunday.
Though the Didi employee did not disclose the number of drivers who left, he shared that the weeding of "unqualified" drivers is a regular process in the firm.
Didi Kuaidi's Zhuanche platform allows private car owners to receive transport fares.
Meanwhile, experts pointed out that the lower subsidies could indeed lead to the decrease in the number of Didi's drivers and users.
According to a Shanghai driver surnamed Chen, since the cut in subsidies, his monthly income fell by 2,000 yuan.
Another driver who requested for anonymity revealed that currently, the firm demands around 40 percent of the fares the drivers earn in exchange of their platform membership.
The driver added that because of the larger charges, "many of [their] folks are shifting to the U.S.-based car-hiring firm Uber."
Zhang Xu, an analyst at Analysys International, said that there is certainty that Didi drivers and users will shift to the firm's competitors. However, he noted that the "company can always try to win them back by adjusting its subsidy policies accordingly."
As of September, Didi Kuaidi holds a dominant 80.2 share in the country's car-hailing market, as reported by Internet intelligence agency Sootoo.
