"When in roam, go with the service you know" is the main message that transportation platform DiDi Chuxing is telling its Chinese customers and Australian driver-partners.
The feature allows DiDi Greater China App users to enjoy DiDi Express when they travel to Australia, creating potentially thousands of new rideshare customers per day for DiDi’s driver-partners in Melbourne and Geelong.
Obviously, with China's massive and massively connected population, which sees DiDi offering "multi ridesharing services to 550 million riders across over 400 cities in Greater China", there's a lot of Chinese tourists who are able to use the service in Australia without downloading new apps, connecting credit cards or other actions that might dissuade some from taking the trouble.
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DiDi general manager for Australia & New Zealand, Dillon Ye, said: “We are excited to see the number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia at an all-time high and growing.
"The roaming service embedded into our native app will allow Chinese visitors to explore Australia in the way they are used to at home. At DiDi, we are dedicated to providing more income opportunities to our driver partners, and we expect to generate thousands of additional DiDi rides across Melbourne and Geelong each day.”
As the company re-iterates, "Chinese visitors who have the latest DiDi Greater China App installed on their phone will be able to seamlessly book a DiDi Express when they arrive in Melbourne, without needing to download DiDi’s Global App".
"The roaming service eliminates two traditional barriers for Chinese visitors in Australia: language and payment.
"Riders will be able to use their familiar in-app online payment method, while a bilingual auto-translated in-app message system allows riders and driver-partners to communicate.
"This feature has successfully served about 1.5 million English-speaking users in the Chinese mainland over the past year. DiDi also offers online bilingual customer service to support roaming users. The riders can use this roaming service with their mobile data or under WiFi coverage when the trip is booked.
"To support driver-partners, DiDi is developing guidance, tips and advice to ensure that they can maximise their earning capacity. DiDi will also create incentives for driver-partners to be in popular areas during peak travel times for Chinese visitors, such as Chinese New Year or major international sporting events.
"DiDi believes the roaming service will have a positive impact on the company’s partnerships in Australia, building brand awareness among Chinese visitors. In September, DiDi partnered with the Australian Football League as the Official Rideshare Partner of the Toyota AFL Grand Final.
"The company also plans to develop partnerships with online travel platforms, airlines, banks and other existing business partners that will benefit all users in Australia.
"DiDi launched its Australian operations in Melbourne in June this year and continues to operate in Geelong following a successful beta launch in May."
