TIC | 株式会社東京コンサルティング研究所

The “Chinese Uber” DiDi Entering Japanese Market

The taxi app with 550 million users worldwide: DiDi, which is known as the Chinese version of Uber, has entered into the Japanese market with Softbank. DiDi provides a network car service that allows users to get to a taxi or share a private car when they launch the app and enter their current location and destination. Since payment can be done by internet payment method associated with the APP very conveniently, Didi travel now widely be used in China. On September 27, 2018, the service was first launched at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka and its surrounding areas. Although Didi does not disclose the number of users in the Japanese market, it is reported that the number of users of Didi in Japan is increasing by a factor of two times per month. Unlike the Chinese service, in Japan, the drip car is limited to licensed taxis, and private cars are prohibited from registration. Didi dripping into the Japanese market is considered to cater to the needs of tourists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the price of taxis in Japan is higher than that of China and Southeast Asian countries. More tourists tend to choose public transportation. The tour guide, which also provides a car service, is also one of the competitors of Didi. At present, Didi is expanding its market in Japan by discount campaigns, and the development of Didi Japan is worthy of attention.