Chinese ride-hailing app DiDi Chuxing is now available on the African continent. This is after the start of operations in South Africa. The company has been running a pilot scheme in the city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.
DiDi has already started recruiting drivers in Cape Town and would start offering services to the public in the autumn.
The launch makes South Africa its 14th overseas venture, with further plans to start operating in Europe and the Middle East underway. The app has around 550 million users and already operates services in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Russia, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina. There are also plans to launch in Ecuador next month.
In Africa, its biggest competitors will be Uber and the Estonian firm Bolt, in which DiDi has also invested. It controls 90% of China’s online ride-hailing market. The firm is also valued at $62 billion from its last funding round.
We’ll keep you up-to-date with more details on the DiDi Chuxing app expansion into Africa.
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