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Travelers to China often marvel at the speed and efficiency of ride-hailing apps, but the ride-hailing industry faces many problems such as a surplus of drivers and a broader slowing in China's economy. NPR's Anthony Kuhn spoke to some drivers in Beijing about one particular problem that has both drivers and passengers crying foul.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: I've just finished a trip, and now it's time to rate the driver. The ride-hailing app asks me some questions, including, was the car smelly? This ride was fine, but I've certainly had some that were not.
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KUHN: I took a ride around Beijing with 36-year-old driver Shao Wei, and I asked him what drivers think about being rated on their automotive aroma.
SHAO WEI: (Through interpreter) Most taxi drivers whose cars smell bad actually live in their cars. I can understand them. They just want to save some money to help their families live a little better.
KUHN: Shao's business in Northeast China failed, and he went into debt. So he started driving a ride-hailing car last year to pay it off. Like many drivers, he has to work up to 15 hours a day just to get enough fares. He doesn't sleep in his car, but he can relate to drivers who do.
WEI: (Through interpreter) I think the drivers whose cars smell bad are heroes who bravely face life. And I hope passengers will give them some understanding.
KUHN: But Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding a more pleasant experience for their money. In response to riders' complaints, China's biggest ride-hailing company, Didi Chuxing, put a new policy in place last year. If drivers get too much negative feedback about their car's smell, Didi may temporarily suspend them until they're trained to keep their cars clean. Forty-seven-year-old driver Yang Guangdong doesn't sleep in his car, but he still received some odor complaints, which he says are often unfair and subjective.
YANG GUANGDONG: (Through interpreter) For example, let's say you like the smell of apples, and your passenger likes jasmine. You don't like each other's scents, in which case, he's sure to say your car stinks.
KUHN: Some critics say this system of ranking rides' rankness misses the point.
JULIE YUJIE CHEN: I'm not sure this measure will solve the problem, except adding more surveillance on workers. I feel it's more for public relations - you know? - to kind of, like, appease passengers.
KUHN: Julie Yujie Chen researches labor and technology at the University of Toronto.
CHEN: The most fundamental issues here are related to overworking drivers, and so I don't think this can be fixed by platforms alone.
KUHN: Didi Chuxing's earnings report says that its number of registered car owners who either drive themselves or lease them to other drivers increased by more than 20% last year to nearly 19 million. But with economic growth slowing, consumers are taking fewer trips, and order volume last year shrank by 8%. So many drivers are not unemployed - they're underemployed, struggling to make ends meet and spending a lot of time waiting for fares.
AUTOMATED VOICE: (Speaking Chinese).
KUHN: Driver Shao Wei follows his GPS' directions. He says he's glad to have a job, and he doesn't like to complain. He adds that just as riders need to be tolerant of drivers who live in their cars, drivers need to put up with riders, many of whom climb aboard not exactly smelling like roses.
WEI: (Through interpreter) Sometimes on the late shift, I meet riders who have just eaten or have bad breath. And they're very willing to communicate with me.
KUHN: Shao says even a long journey passes quickly when driver and rider are amicably shooting the breeze. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.
(SOUNDBITE OF HI-TEK SONG, "ROUND AND ROUND") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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