China’s Didi suspends ride-sharing service after woman killed

Didi Chuxing is China's largest online ride-hailing platform

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has suspended its Hitch carpool service after a female passenger was raped and killed by a Didi Hitch driver.

The company announced it was suspending its Hitch system for review as the most recent incident revealed problems in its customer service system. The vice president of Didi Hitch, which pairs car owners and passengers, has also been fired.

Didi Chuxing is China’s largest online ride-hailing platform

The suspect, named only as Zhong, had a previous complaint made against him by a passenger alleging that she was driven to a remote location by Zhong.

In the most recent case, BBC reported that on Friday, the 20-year-old passenger entered Zhong’s vehicle in Wenzhou at 13.00. She messaged a friend for help an hour later before losing contact.

Police on Sunday detained the 27-year-old driver, who confessed to raping and murdering the passenger.

In May, a 21-year-old flight attendant died after using the service in Zhengzhou.

The transport ministry was reported to have said that the two incidents brought to light operational loopholes of the platform, and urged the company to take steps to ensuring passenger safety.

Didi is said to have completed more than one billion journeys in the past three years, more than any other ride-hailing companies in the world.

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