Rhea Liu
Uber China’s Strategy Chief, Liu Zhen, said at a conference on Thursday that Uber has set up a special unit of engineers from Silicon Valley to solve the problem of fake rides in China.
“Uber has vast experience knowing how to deal with fake rides,” Liu said. “The special unit will continually investigate new methods to crack down on all kinds of fraud.” Liu also told a reporter for the National Business Daily that when scams reach a certain scale, they can only be solved by technical means.
Uber claims that fake rides account for less than ten percent of Uber bookings in China, a lower percentage than competitors and similar to other markets at an early stage, according to Bloomberg Business.
“People always talk about how serious the problem of fake rides is in China, but actually it’s a big problem in India as well. And for all the 350 cities Uber is now operating in the world, they all face this problem,” Liu Zhen said.
Uber has already employed harsh measures to tackle the issue. It suspended thousands of driver accounts in Chengdu last month, provoking a protest in the city. Suspended Uber drivers gathered at local police stations, requesting returns for their confiscated income.
Uber isn’t the only ride-hailing business troubled by the issue of fake rides. Didi Kuaidi, Uber’s biggest rival in China, collaborated with local police in Beijing and Shanghai to arrest several suspects found to be using software to fake rides and cash in on subsidies, Xinhua News reported last week.
(Featured photo from Sohu)
