China’s Didi plans to relaunch Hitch service with new safety features

FILE PHOTO: A man is seen in front of a Didi sign before a promotional event of its Hitch service for the Spring festival travel rush, in Beijing, China January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

BEIJING/SHANGHAI: Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said on July 18 it was proposing to relaunch its Hitch carpooling service with added safety features, almost a year after suspending the service following the murder of a female passenger by her Didi driver.

The case had badly dented Didi's image at a time when it has been trying to expand overseas to compete with foreign rivals such as Uber and drove the company to pledge that it would prioritise safety overgrowth going forward.