DiDi Chuxing’s nickname, China’s Uber, is a little unfair considering that the Beijing-based firm has surpassed 60 million daily trips—around twice the number of its U.S. rival. DiDi hit a nadir in mid-2018 after a flurry of attacks on female passengers, including two murders in three months. Since then, the company has undergone a thorough reckoning on safety—as well as the sacking of two executives—that resulted in extensive driver background checks, compulsory in-trip audio recordings and upgraded emergency alerts. It now operates in 10 foreign markets, has driverless taxis roaming the streets of Shanghai and recently expanded into mobile payments in Latin America.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness