Have memories of childhood practical jokes? Like calling random-local numbers claiming to be from a power utility, saying, “Is your fridge running”. They disappear for a moment and return in the affirmative, to which you say, “Better go catch it then!”.
Hilarious. But that’s the kind of immature behaviour which has gripped a signifiant number of people of late, not only in Nanjing, but around China as a whole, in their idea to book a taxi to Lhasa.
Reporters have learned from ride-sharing platform, Didi, that since 5 April, there has been a significant increase in long-distance orders for taxis to Lhasa.
More than 300 users then cancelled their orders, after paying tens of thousands by way of deposit. They have, of course, received those monies back.
According to the Yangtze Evening News, one reporter noticed a Zhejiang resident who had booked a ride to the spiritual home of Buddhism, the Potala Palace in Lahasa. This they had shared on Douyin.
But while the mix that is the Potala Palace and Douyin is worrying enough in itself, it is also hardly a practical joke.
Let’s talk numbers. One Didi user from Guangxi who booked a ride to Lhasa was faced with a fare of ¥13,545.12, but in the end, the transaction failed due to “abnormalities” preventing payment.
From Nanjing, it was found that it would cost ¥12,505.45 to make it to the Tibetan capital, in a 3,295-kilometre ride that would take more than 2 days.
According to Didi’s user agreement, long-distance orders require payment of the estimated fare before departure. Such a clause protects driver rights; upon arrival at the destination, refunds will be made based on the actual cost.
In addition to those bookings to Lhasa, long-distance Didi orders to Sanya in Hainan Province, Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province and other regions have also increased in recent days.
Didi’s official position? The ride-hailing platform reminds users to please place orders “rationally”, based on “actual travel plans”. So no practical jokes, then.
