Ride Hailing Apps in China

DiDi is the overwhelming national ride-hailing leader. A Hong Kong listing document published in June 2025 identified the largest operator, understood to be DiDi, at 70.4 percent of Chinese ride-hailing gross transaction value during 2024. The Chinese government's current foreign-resident guide explicitly recommends DiDi China and says it accepts overseas mobile numbers and international credit cards. The app provides English, bilingual customer service and in-app message translation. No mainland ID, phone number or bank account is required for ordinary visitor booking, although passport verification can appear for risk checks. Visa and Mastercard can be added directly, and Alipay or Weixin Pay are alternatives. DiDi covers major and secondary cities nationwide, while rural supply and remote scenic areas remain limited. Uber left in 2016, and Lyft, Grab and Bolt do not operate. Use the DiDi China app, not a similarly named unofficial listing. At airports and railway stations, the app assigns a specific online ride-hailing pickup area, often a walk from arrivals. Move to that point before requesting because drivers cannot legally stop at ordinary curbs. DiDi handled about 70.2 percent of Chinese ride orders during 2025. AMap now provides an English aggregator interface, CaoCao advertised 140 million users across 62 cities as of July 2026, and T3 remained below 5 percent national share during 2025.