Didi rolls out bilingual ride-hailing services in China

A mobile phone user uses the taxi-hailing and car-service app Didi Chuxing, Feb 22, 2015. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Chinese on-demand mobility giant Didi Chuxing announced Monday the launch of bilingual functions on its app in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to serve foreigners as part of the company's globalization strategy.

Users in the three cities will have access to an English language interface upon installing or upgrading to the latest version of the Didi app. The bilingual functions will be rolled out to other Chinese cities over time, according to the company statement.

The app also enables real-time, in-app instant text messaging translation between English and Chinese for the three major ride-hailing services on Didi's platform. Users will also have access to bilingual customer service support via email and phone.

Over 28 million international tourists visited China in 2016, up 8.3 percent year-on-year, with over 900,000 foreign citizens working in China, official data showed.

To better serve China's growing international community, the Didi app now supports payment via major international credit cards. Users can sign up with mobile numbers registered in 12 countries and regions, including the Chinese mainland, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Didi said it will upgrade its apps on the App Store and Android app markets in other countries so that more travelers can use bilingual services upon arrival in China.