Life of 10 drivers for web taxi-hailing services

Bian Lijun cleans his car. [Photo/news.china.com.cn]

Bian Lijun, 38, is a certified driver for Didi Private Car. After retiring from the military, he worked in a joint-venture insurance company in Beijing. He later quit his job when his daughter was born and stayed at home for two years as a stay-at-home dad. Bian entered this profession in June last year. He got more than 4,000 orders in the past year, during which he started with "feeling as if he lost face" to being completely calm in being a Didi driver.

The car he uses for Didi service was bought in 2012. The mileage for the first three years was less than 30,000 km, but when he became a Didi Private Car driver it surged by 80,000 km in a single year. Bian said he paid meticulous attention to the car's external and internal appearances, which tricked many passengers into believing they were riding in a new car.

Bian takes photos for his daughter at home. [Photo/news.china.com.cn]

Bian said that due to long working hours, the time spent with his daughter is usually brief but happy. They rent a flat in north Beijing, quite a distance for his wife to come downtown to work. They once bought a flat in Beijing, but sold it in order to buy another one.

Bian likes photography, and taking photos for his daughter is his greatest hobby. He is satisfied with the current kindergarten that his daughter goes to, believing the teachers' ideas and approaches help with the development of children's mentality.

Bian sends his daughter and wife to kindergarten. [Photo/news.china.com.cn]

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, his daughter's kindergarten held an activity. After sending away the daughter and her mother, an unexpected rain started to pour. He decided to wait by a subway station because "orders will flood in in such a weather."

Bian's hometown is in Shanxi, and so that is where he had his military service. He keeps a cap badge after retirement from the Armed Police Force. His trustworthiness and efforts earned him the Best 10 Didi Drivers Awards.