Didi claims to have upgraded efforts to protect passengers

Didi said it has finalized its safety upgrade efforts following orders from the Ministry of Transport to improve security in the wake of the murder of two Didi Hitch passengers earlier this year.

Didi said yesterday the new risk and safety assessment system would be extended to all mobility products and services. 

A national joint inspection group has ordered Didi to make a major overhaul of its safety rules and customer response team following the rape and murder case of a ride-sharing passenger by a Hitch driver in the eastern city of Wenzhou in August this year.

Didi and its hitch service, which has been suspended since late August, intends to include more rigorous controls of user-generated content and the elimination of social-related functions. 

Those social-related functions allowed drivers to leave comments about their riders, and female passengers were often described as "beautiful" or “sweet looking.” The rape and murder case in Wenzhou and an earlier murder case by a Didi Hitch driver in Zhengzhou in central Henan Province this May led to increased scrutiny of such functions.

In response to the Ministry of Transport's compliance requirements, Didi said it would accelerate vehicle and driver certification and reorganization processes in accordance with relevant national and local rules. It would also reinforce the current system of dynamic verification for drivers and vehicles by leveraging driver facial recognition software, customer service reviews and offline examination methods.

Earlier this month it also unveiled a new business structure that includes an integrated ride-sharing business group as well as the creation of a new post called chief safety officer, who will ultimately oversee passenger safety issues.