Chinese ride sharing giant Didi employs millions of veterans (and they get a lot of five-star ratings)

Uber has also touted the number of ex-military drivers on its platform

Didi Chuxing

Andrew Barclay

Published: 6:15pm, 30 Jul 2018

Why you can trust SCMP

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Didi Chuxing has announced that it employs 3.9 million military veterans as drivers -- a sizeable figure considering there are only about 750,000 Uber drivers total in the United States.

In a report, the company -- sometimes referred to as the Uber of China -- said the total figure represents almost 7 percent of the 57 million veterans in China.

Didi says this figure is proof the sharing economy can help veterans find work once they have finished their military service, according to the South China Morning Post.

In addition to having trouble finding work once they return the civilian life, studies show those leaving the armed forces also face higher rates of mental health issues and homelessness.

But Didi is not alone. In 2014 Uber launched a program called UberMILITARY, which had hired some 50,000 drivers by April 2016.

Can’t get a ride on Didi? People are hitching rides in delivery vans

To put those numbers in perspective: Didi told Abacus it has some 30 million drivers active on its platform, meaning the number of veterans makes up 13 percent of its drivers.

As of 2016, Uber had approximately 750,000 drivers in the United States -- making its number of veteran drivers equal to just over 6.5 percent of its drivers.

(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba -- an investor in Didi.)

The report, which was produced in conjunction with the China Veterans Employment and Entrepreneurship Service Association, also found that 98 percent of veterans received five-star ratings -- something they attribute to the training received by those in the military.

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.

Post