Chinese Ridesharing Service DiDi Is Launching in Auckland with a Month of Half-Price Rides
It's launching on November 2 with a stack of sweet introductory incentives for riders.
Yet another ridesharing service is throwing its hat into the ring in Auckland, with China's DiDi platform set to launch across the city next month.
The move comes two years after the platform landed across the ditch, launching in Victoria back in May 2018. It has since expanded to Newcastle, Perth, Queensland and Sydney, and is finally heading to New Zealand on Monday, November 2.
The new app promises locals "a safe, reliable and value-for-money rideshare service," as DiDi goes head to head with the likes of Zoomy, Ola and Uber. It'll launch in Auckland with just one of its services — Express — but not its seven-seater or carpooling services.
And it's sweetening the deal with some pretty tempting launch incentives. Riders who sign up to the service before November 2 will enjoy a tidy 50 percent discount on all DiDi rides for four weeks, and will receive a $20 credit every time they introduce a friend to the platform. Those later to the party who sign up during the first four weeks of launch will receive 50 percent off their first five trips (capped at $20 per trip).
The company's promising 24/7 support to both drivers and riders, an itinerary sharing feature for those riding, and a strict driver vetting process. And, it's saying trips can, on average, be up to ten percent more affordable than other Auckland rideshare services.
DiDi Chuxing launched in China in 2012 and has quickly become a huge player in the global ridesharing game — it has since bought out Uber's Chinese operations and has stakes in numerous companies, including Ola, Taxify, Lyft and Grab. It'll be interesting to see how its services stack up to what's already on offer and how many drivers will be available at any one time.
The DiDi app is now available to download from the app store, with services starting on Monday, November 2. Don't forget to sign up before then if you want to snag a month of half-price rides.
Image: Daniel Carson, dcimges.org.
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