• DiDi said it has 50% of taxi drivers on its platform in the Chilean capital of Santiago and about two-thirds of drivers on board in the Colombian cities of Bogota and Medellin;
• Now, it has begun recruiting both taxi and ride-hailing drivers as it prepares to launch in La Plata.

DiDi Chuxing is expanding its ride-hailing services to Peru and Argentina. In an interview with La República, Simeng Wang, the leader of South America Expansion at DiDi said that the company started partner registration in these two Latin-American countries.

According to Reuters, DiDi has begun recruiting both taxi and ride-hailing drivers as it prepares to launch in La Plata, Argentina, its first foray into the country, a spokesman said. Uber‘s rival, the Chinese company currently operates in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Panama and Costa Rica and owns a controlling stake in 99 in Brazil.

READ ALSO: Brazilian ride-hailing app 99 launches digital account

Regarding cab services, Didi, which has long partnered with taxis in China and began offering cab services soon after entering Chile and Colombia, said it has 50% of taxi drivers on its platform in the Chilean capital of Santiago and about two-thirds of drivers on board in the Colombian cities of Bogota and Medellin.

“The total quarantines resulting from the health crisis presented a mobility challenge in our cities in Chile and Colombia,” Didi said in a statement.
“DiDi Taxi registered a significant increase not only in demand for the service, but also in the registration of taxi partners in both countries.”

READ ALSO: Uber says it may shut down California services due to new driver ruling

For cab drivers, reputations are likely to play a part in deciding who they partner with. “We knew they (Didi) had worked with taxis in other places … Uber has had a poor reception for the war they waged on us at the beginning,” said Guillermo, who is working with Didi in Santiago.