Uber left China in 2016; DiDi bought its operations and now dominates. For travelers DiDi is a superpower: type your destination in English, watch the car approach on the map, pay automatically through the app, no negotiation, no 'meter broken', no detours. It's also cheap by Western standards — a 20-minute cross-town ride runs ¥25–45.
Setup
- Download the DiDi app (there's an international version with full English) or use the DiDi mini-program inside Alipay/WeChat.
- Register with your phone number; link Alipay or WeChat Pay for automatic payment.
- Set destinations in English (works in big cities) or paste Chinese addresses for precision.
- Optional: enable the 'English-language driver requests' flag — adds a few seconds of matching but smoother rides.
Riding rules
- Sit in the front if you want (locals often do); buckle up — Chinese traffic rewards it.
- Drivers rarely speak English; the app handles all communication including pickup changes.
- Tipping: not expected, not supported in-app.
- Peak hours and rain trigger surge pricing — the metro suddenly looks attractive.
DiDi vs metro vs walking
Beijing and Shanghai rush hours can gridlock — the metro wins from 7:30–9:30am and 5:30–7:30pm. Late at night and for cross-town hops with luggage, DiDi is unbeatable. For everything in between, the ¥3 metro ride and a 10-minute walk is the local way.