Didi sues 3 drivers over accidents

Didi Chuxing, China’s biggest ride-hailing company, has sued three of its drivers for lending their cars to unauthorized motorists who later caused traffic accidents, leading to passengers getting injured. All three cases have been accepted by local courts.

The three drivers allegedly lent their cars to friends who later got involved in accidents. Didi said the company had paid up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,653) in medical fees for the injured passengers in the three cases in advance.

One of the incidents happened in Beijing. The driver surnamed Li, who caused the accident, had previously applied to become a Didi driver but was turned down because of insufficient driving experience. Didi therefore had to pay for the medical expenses as well as compensation to the passenger. The company did not get the money back from the driver responsible for the accident.

All drivers who sign up with Didi must upload their IDs, driver’s licenses and pictures of the cars, the company said. The person behind the wheel must be the same one who signed up with the company, it added.

In its lawsuit, Didi argued that all three drivers lent their cars out knowing it was a grave breach of contract. Didi appealed to the court to order the defendant drivers to pay the company liquidated damages and lawyer fees.

Didi claimed that drivers lending their cars to others will have their account suspended for good. They also urged passengers to double check the authenticity of the driver before hopping in their cars.