Didi Dache Considers Lifestyle Services
DoNews, 8/07/13
In a recent Chinese media interview, Wu Rui, Marketing Director for mobile taxi booking app Didi Dache, stated that the company is not ruling out the possibility of building an open platform service on its taxi booking mobile client, offering goods and services such as dining, travel, and other lifestyle service products.
Didi Dache currently has partnerships with Chinese digital map provider AutoNavi (Nasdaq: AMAP), internet company Baidu's (Nasdaq: BIDU) Baidu Maps, Baidu's online travel services subsidiary Qunar, and Tencent's (0700.HK) WeChat (Weixin) mobile messaging application. Didi Dache boasts more than 7,000 daily bookings through third-party app channels.
Didi Dache currently covers 15 cities nationwide, and will add an estimated 5 more cities by the end of August. As of July 31, Didi Dache accounted for 85% of all mobile taxi bookings in the Beijing area. 37,462 cabs have signed up for the service in Beijing, and Beijing daily bookings total around 40,000, with an average booking success rate of around 78%. Didi Dache's nationwide operating costs in July totaled nearly RMB 2 mln. The company currently operates at a loss.
Keywords: Wu Rui lifestyle wireless open platform Didi Dache taxi booking app mobile application