Passenger peed off after Didi driver caught short

A DIDI driver’s accreditation has been suspended after he allowed a passenger to drink from a water bottle he had urinated in.

The passenger, surnamed Sun, who was in Shanghai on a business trip, was seated next to the driver when he became thirsty. After picking up the bottle, Sun noticed it was not sealed.

“I double checked with the driver,” Sun said. “He told me it could be the previous passenger who opened the bottle but did not drink it.”

The driver didn’t stop Sun drinking. Sun quickly discovered it was urine.

“I spat it out on the spot,” Sun said.

The driver became emotional when Sun said he was going to report the incident.

“He started to slap himself,” Sun said. “And he was trying to buy me off.”

Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing platform, said the driver hadn’t been able to find a toilet, so he used the bottle. Drivers also face the tricky issue of possibly getting a parking ticket if they stop to use a public toilet.

“My way of dealing with the problem is drinking less water when working,” said Liu Zhihui, a Didi Premier driver.

“And go to the toilet during the lunchtime break.”

But Liu also admitted he occasionally has to park his car in no-parking zones, and pee in the greenbelt.

Ge Zhihao, a lawyer from Beijing Guantao law firm said that if the passenger’s health had been affected he had the right to seek compensation.

Ge said Sun can also seek spiritual damage.