Overshadowed by the rape and murder cases associated with Didi Chuxing, ride-hailing business is retrenching from the first half year’s rampant expansion where service providers waged a subsidy war by which to attract new subscriptions. Though Didi has not yet fully reopened its business (carpooling service is being suspended), its main viral, Meituan, starts the fightback as the wave subsides, by acquiring the car-hailing permit in Beijing. A torrent of criticism against Didi has seen the preference shift by users to Meituan, but still, it will take some time to see whether the latter will seize the chance and overtake its competitor to dominate the industry.
