Public transport options integrated into DiDi’s ride-sharing app

Chinese ride-sharing firm DiDi has updated its app to allow users to book its ride-sharing service as part of a multi-modal journey that encompasses mass transit, all from one screen.

Traditionally, users have had to switch to switch interfaces to search and book different transportation options for the completion of a whole journey, but now DiDi users can sort the travel options by duration, price and distance, and pick the combination that best suits their needs. They can also hail a ride through a single click, improving the efficiency of planning a journey.

Not all combination suggestions contain a Didi ride, but should you choose that route, it requires just one tap to schedule a Didi for that section of the journey.

The function is currently available in nearly 100 cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The new function and one-stop service are accessible through the ‘DiDi Bus’ tab on the latest version of the DiDi App.

An upgrade included in the new function allows separate users to share a Didi car if they are both going in roughly the same direction. Passengers are alerted if a nearby point, such as a different junction, is a better place to be collected from, preventing the car and other passengers from completing unnecessary detours or U-turns.

These ‘virtual meeting points’ are expected to reduce the waiting time for cars when ride-sharing.