Spring Festival ride-hailing orders surge, platform spends 1.1 billion yuan to "retain drivers"! Drivers: These days are all "chain orders"

This article is sourced from Times Weekly, authored by Zhao Lingwei.

On February 20th (the fourth day of the Lunar New Year) at 6:30 a.m., Old Zhang, a ride-hailing driver in Beijing, went out to work.

Old Zhang accepted orders on both Gaode and Didi platforms. From 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., he earned a total of 330 yuan. “This Spring Festival, there aren’t many drivers, and these days it’s all ‘back-to-back’ rides. The average is 50 to 60 yuan per hour, which is about five yuan less or more than usual.”

Old Zhang told Times Weekly that Didi offered an extra 3 yuan reward per ride before the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. On Gaode’s integrated platform, most orders come from Cao Cao Mobility (02643.HK). Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., there is a 20% subsidy, provided the driver is online for at least 7 hours and the completion rate is no less than 93%. Old Zhang said these conditions are not harsh for “professional ride-hailing drivers.”

In the 2026 Spring Festival ride-hailing market, demand remains strong despite capacity pressures, with major platforms using real money to ensure drivers and users have a good experience during the long holiday.

According to Didi’s data forecast, during the 2026 Spring Festival travel period, ride-hailing will show a clear pulse pattern, with four peak travel waves expected. Additionally, demand for rides home and tourism before the festival will increase by 45% compared to before the Spring Festival, demand for rides to airports and train stations will rise by 40%, and demand for trips to beauty salons, shopping malls, and supermarkets will increase by 67% and 49%, respectively. The evening peak ride-hailing demand in third- and fourth-tier cities will also increase by 19% year-over-year.

Notably, a small trend of “reverse New Year” has emerged this year, with ride requests in first-tier cities before the holiday increasing by 21% year-over-year. More and more elderly people are choosing to travel to their children’s workplaces to reunite.

Platforms incentivize drivers

As drivers return home, capacity is under pressure. To ease the difficulty of finding rides during the Spring Festival, platforms are actively motivating drivers to go out.

Gaode’s ride-hailing division launched a “No Commission” alliance offering up to 264 hours of free commission, reducing operational costs to attract part-time drivers. At the same time, Gaode charges a “driver service fee” during certain periods from passengers, starting at 2 yuan per order and up to 10 yuan, with the full fee going to the driver, directly incentivizing capacity supply during the holiday.

In key cities like Beijing, ride-hailing platforms such as Gaode have also established real-time passenger flow monitoring systems with transportation authorities, participating in “Eight Stations and Two Venues” capacity assurance efforts, encouraging drivers to operate in Beijing during the Spring Festival.

Official data shows Didi invested 1.1 billion yuan in driver subsidies, launching a “Buy a No Commission Card for as Low as 1 Cent” campaign, with a total of up to 196 hours of commission exemption. Additionally, benefits like flow acceleration cards, completion bonuses, congestion and idling compensations are layered to significantly increase daily earnings for high-frequency drivers. During peak travel times of the Spring Festival and Spring Festival travel rush, Didi also piloted a “Driver Service Fee” feature, where passengers pay, and the full fee goes directly to drivers, to directly incentivize capacity.

Other platforms are also stepping up. T3 Mobility invested over 400 million yuan, offering extended no-commission cards and holiday service fees of 2-8 yuan per ride, plus a one-year accidental medical insurance policy with coverage up to 150,000 yuan, precisely meeting full-time drivers’ long-term security needs.

Cao Cao Mobility offers flexible options, allowing drivers to purchase a 29.9 yuan daily no-commission pass or enjoy a 20% revenue multiplier for free. Over 200 cities nationwide also offer 2-7 yuan per ride during the holiday period.

Shouqi Limousine also introduced specific time-based driver service fees, no-commission benefits, and high-commission rates of up to 88% to increase driver income.

In addition to online income incentives, platforms have launched human-centered services to care for drivers. Didi has held “Didi Driver Spring Festival Family Banquets” in cities like Fuzhou, Tianjin, and Shanghai, and set up “Didi Driver Daily Welfare Stations” in over 30 cities including Beijing, Suzhou, Qingdao, Taiyuan, and Ningbo.

From subsidy competitions to security guarantees

During capacity pressures, ride-hailing platforms not only introduce driver rights but also focus on user experience. Passenger-side platforms have launched service guarantees and promotional activities to attract orders while maintaining user loyalty.

Gaode has invested hundreds of millions of yuan in more flexible and convenient carpooling models, reducing the cost for users returning home. For drivers, incentives include first-order rewards and fuel subsidies; for passengers, discounts for new users and New Year coupon packs.

Gaode’s New Year carpooling campaign image source: official company release

Furthermore, to address complex road conditions during the Spring Festival travel rush—such as highways, rural roads, mountain roads, fog, and snow—Gaode’s carpooling launched the “Spring Festival Guarantee Plan,” applying the “Eagle Eye Guard” warning system to monitor 24 typical driving scenarios like road collapses, sudden braking ahead, and nighttime trucks, providing real-time alerts to help drivers avoid risks in advance.

In busy transportation hubs like airports and train stations, Didi has upgraded experience measures in 313 airports and train stations across 165 cities nationwide. In cities like Beijing and Quanzhou, the platform has also formed Spring Festival support fleets to assist with passenger dispersal during key periods.

(Note: The name “Old Zhang” in the article is a pseudonym.)