No escape for dodgy Didi driver

An unqualified ride-hailing driver who fled from a traffic police checkpoint on August 7 was caught on Tuesday.

The car was registered with Didi Chuxing, but when driver Li was stopped by traffic police, he was not on an order from Didi, but had picked up a passenger on the street in front of Changhai Hospital, charging 20 yuan (US$2.85) for a trip that would normally cost about 14 yuan.

With the destination only two blocks away, Li did not expect to encounter a checkpoint, but was stopped at the junction of Zhongyuan and Nenjiang roads, only one block after picking up the passenger.

Law enforcement officers said Li evaded their questions, offered a bribe and begged to be allowed to leave. He then pretended to give up, and said he wanted to get something from his car but drove off at high speed.

According to the officers, the car ran a red light and several other vehicles were forced to stop to avoid a collision. The officers did not give immediate chase for safety reasons, but Li was easily tracked by surveillance cameras.

It turned out Li was not qualified to work for Didi and had been caught by police in 2016 for a similar offense. Unlicensed ride-hailing drivers can face a 30,000-yuan fine and have their license suspended for up to six months if they are caught a second time.

“That’s probably why he drove away so recklessly,” said an officer.

Police found Li at his home in Minhang District. He has been fined, his driver’s license revoked and will spend 20 days behind bars for absconding from the checkpoint.