Ridesharing platform DiDi launches in Adelaide on August 10
Ride sharers will soon have another option, and it could end up being cheaper than your regular ride.
SA News
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Chinese rideshare giant DiDi will begin operations in SA on August 10 with a pledge of special deals for drivers and passengers.
The app company operates in 11 countries and in 2018, DiDi’s platform had more than 550 million users and tens of millions of drivers.
Nineteen other Australian cities will also be added to the service on August 10, on top of the existing Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
“As South Australia continues to benefit from eased COVID-19 restrictions, DiDi is expanding its service to make rideshare more affordable for more Australians, while increasing the earning potential of rideshare drivers following a time of reduced travel,’’ spokesman Dan Jordan said.
“DiDi Australia currently has approximately 75,000 active drivers and over 1.5 million active riders on its platform positioning it as the second most popular rideshare provider in Australia.”
Drivers are currently being enticed to sign on with DiDi on a better deal than other ride share companies.
Mr Jordan said on average, DiDi for passengers can be up to 10 per cent more affordable than other rideshare offerings.
“Riders who sign up to the app before August 10 will receive 30 per cent off all rides for the first month of launch, while those who sign up after launch will receive 30 per cent off 10 rides with discounts are capped at $20 per trip,’’ he said.
DiDi began in Australia in mid-2018 and consumer advocate finder.com reported this month “the company is delivering prices that are very competitive”.
“DiDi offers extremely competitive prices, so if you’re looking for the cheapest ride then DiDi is easily the first choice,” the organisation found after comparing Melbourne prices between it and Uber.
DiDi was rated cheaper than Uber on base fare, minimum fare, charge per minute, charge per km and cancellation fee.