China’s Didi Chuxing shuts down operations in South Africa

China’s ride-hailing company, Didi Chuxing, has shut down operations in South Africa. This is coming about a year after it launched in the country.

Many thought that it was set to compete seriously with the reigning incumbents, Uber and Bolt.

According to a Didi South Africa spokesperson in a discussion with Techcrunch, “We have made the difficult decision to end our operation in South Africa from April 8. Our aim has been to ensure a smooth transition for all and would like to take this opportunity to thank our employees, drivers, riders and partners for the kindness and support shown to DiDi.”

“We have re-evaluated where we can make the most positive impact in the short-term and are focusing on developing even deeper capabilities in other existing markets,” the spokesman added.

Didi dropped a hint that its departure is expected to leave resources for more promising markets like Egypt, where it launched in September 2021. It is however considering the Nigerian market as a possible next alternative.

Founded as DiDi Dache by Cheng Wei in 2012 as a a taxi-hailing app, Didi Chuxing as it is now known, now has multiple services including including Taxi, Express, Premier, Luxe, Bus, Designated Driving, Enterprise Solutions, Bike Sharing, E-bike Sharing, Car Rental and sharing, and food delivery. Didi currently operates in China and 16 other countries.

Uber is the current leader in South Africa with 35,000 drivers and operating in 40 cities/towns. Bolt has 25,000 drivers operating in 34 cities/towns.