China’s Didi vows to put safety first
Ride-hailing firm resets priorities after murder
China’s dominant ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing Technology said on Tuesday that it would prioritise safety over growth as a measure of success after a 20-year-old passenger was murdered by her Didi driver last week. The case sparked outrage on social media and concerns over safety issues in the fast-growing ride-hailing sector in China, prompting Didi to say it would suspend its Hitch service indefinitely until it comes up with a safety mechanism acceptable to its users. "The tragedy reminded us we have walked this path without enough respect or humility," Didi founder Cheng Wei and president Jean Liu said. "We see clearly this is because our vanity overtook our original belief. We raced non-stop, riding on the force of breathless expansion and capital, through these few years; but this has no meaning in such a tragic loss of life." The company said it would now prioritise safety as the single most important performance indicator, and shift the organisation and its resources towa...
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