How Didi’s app keeps its drivers happy and, more importantly, loyal

Jeffrey is a TIA Star Contributor and publishes high-value content that serves the Asian tech community. Read more from TIA Star Contributors here.

In another article, I sat down with a Didi driver and tried to understand what life is like for him. In this article, I dig into the increasing innovations happening on the driver side of the business.

The Didi app that customers don’t see

Wang Ziming is a Shanghai native, family man, entrepreneur, and one of Didi’s top drivers in Shanghai. He oversees a team of 30 other local drivers.

I asked if I could see the app he uses for picking up riders and handling his driving. One of the first things he showed me was the “hot map” (photo below), which shows where rides will likely be in about 15 minutes.

Since late 2017, Didi has claimed that their system can predict where rides will be in 15 minutes with over 85 percent accuracy. The benefits of this are pretty obvious in terms of increasing the efficiency of the entire system. And if you are moving 550 million+ people across 400+ cities, these efficiencies can really add up.

Another interesting function is the 30 million+ pick-up points shown on these maps. These pick-up points tell both drivers and riders where to meet. Not only does this cut down on the communications needed as drivers and riders try and find each other, it also addresses what Wang says is the biggest source of complaints against drivers.

As regulations prevent drivers from stopping at specific places, and riders rarely know this, he says this is the most common cause of misunderstandings and complaints.

The driver app also has the things you would expect, like communication, billing, pending orders, and such. But it is the driver services tab of the app that is really interesting.

There is a lot going on with Didi in driver services, and it shows on this page. Just take a look at some of the driver services on the app.

The services include:

• Finding and buying gas at a discounted rate
• Finding a charging station
• Credit services
• Second-hand car services
• Car insurance
• Medical insurance
• Car owner exercises
• Government services

1. Happy drivers mean better service and a stronger platform

2. Driver services is becoming its own business

3. Xiaoju could become its own platform