1. Change the settings from Chinese to English. Click the person icon in the top left hand corner and these options will pop up. If it is Chinese and you can't read, merely click the gear icon.
The second box says language. You can choose only English or Chinese.
The second box says language. You can choose only English or Chinese.
2. Attach your payment. Click the person icon, My Wallet, and this window will pop up below.
Choose payment method and this window will come up.
You can attach your WeChat, Alipay, or credit card to get this to work.
Choose payment method and this window will come up.
You can attach your WeChat, Alipay, or credit card to get this to work.
3. Type in the orange dot area where you want to go. You don't have to choose where to be picked up as a GPS will automatically figure that out for you.
4. Choose the service you want, Express, Taxi, Premier, or Luxury.
Express is the cheapest and you can even choose Express Pool where you can go with other people and make your ride cheaper. Taxis are more expensive but if no Express cars will pick you up, taxis almost always will. Premier cars are nicer vehicles but with this option you can choose to be dropped off or picked up from airports more easily. Luxe is short for Luxury cars and offer "first class service" but this is so far only offered in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.
5. Get in the car and go!
6. Payment is automatic once the driver drops you off. If a taxi driver you get from the app asks for payment, just tell him to check the app. They get confused by Didi at times.
To reserve a car do the following steps.
Click on reserve above where you choose where to go on the bottom of the screen.
2. Choose where to be picked up. Do this by clicking the green dot and typing the location.
3. Choose where to go by clicking the orange dot.
4. Click "confirm" and wait for a car to choose you. FYI cars tend to cancel these often. Or your timer of 10 minutes may reach zero. If this happens you have to go back to step 1.
5. Be ready for your car at least ten minutes before the time you reserved for, they always come early and are always grumpy if you aren't there early. If you are late, the car will cancel on you. They can also give you a bad rating for being late.
6. Payment is automatic!
Once you have a car ready to go, you have the options below to choose from. If you feel unsafe you can click Police and an officer will call or reach you soon and it will also message your emergency contact. You can call the driver or message them as well. If you can't speak Chinese you can choose one of the automated messages.
Didi requires that you go into the safety tab of the app and learn about how to report dangerous drivers or scam artists. I highly recommend doing this as well.
When you are done with a ride click the person icon and then "My Trips." You can leave a 5 star review for your driver and can send them up to a 10 RMB tip if you wish. The drivers also rate you but I have yet to figure out how to see my own rating.
Didi is a good app overall but as soon as you leave China it is impossible to use. Didi advertised to Chinese citizens that they could hail Uber or Lyft if they travel overseas with their app. I have been overseas with Didi and it has NEVER worked. It also refuses to work in English and tries to revert back to Chinese whenever I'm outside of China.
If you are in China you will be forced to use Didi but once you are out of China you are forced to use a different ride share app. It's annoying to switch, but hey, that's China for you.
Once you have a car ready to go, you have the options below to choose from. If you feel unsafe you can click Police and an officer will call or reach you soon and it will also message your emergency contact. You can call the driver or message them as well. If you can't speak Chinese you can choose one of the automated messages.
The automated messages you can choose from will translate easily. If you try to type in English, an error message will come up so you have to write in Chinese.
I clicked "Add a Quick Message" which gives you a chance to make a custom automated response. My quick messages say that the drivers should only message me and not call as I can't speak Chinese. You can see those in the picture below. Just letting you know, they still try to call. It's annoying.
Didi requires that you go into the safety tab of the app and learn about how to report dangerous drivers or scam artists. I highly recommend doing this as well.
When you are done with a ride click the person icon and then "My Trips." You can leave a 5 star review for your driver and can send them up to a 10 RMB tip if you wish. The drivers also rate you but I have yet to figure out how to see my own rating.
Didi is a good app overall but as soon as you leave China it is impossible to use. Didi advertised to Chinese citizens that they could hail Uber or Lyft if they travel overseas with their app. I have been overseas with Didi and it has NEVER worked. It also refuses to work in English and tries to revert back to Chinese whenever I'm outside of China.
If you are in China you will be forced to use Didi but once you are out of China you are forced to use a different ride share app. It's annoying to switch, but hey, that's China for you.
I hope that this has been helpful for you all! Good luck with your own Didi adventures.
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