China’s DiDi Chuxing Touts Smart Transportation System

Beijing-based DiDi Chuxing says the “smart transportation brain” platform it launched in early 2017 is being used in 20 Chinese cities.

The system integrates information from DiDi’s ride-hailing fleet with data from local government and business sources to help improve traffic flow and alert motorists and authorities about problem areas. The network controls traffic lights and reversible lanes and is used to coordinate roadway and other infrastructure maintenance schedules.

DiDi says it has installed “smart” traffic lights at more than 1,200 intersections throughout China, including about 350 in Jinan, Shandong. Improved timing of the lights has reduced traffic congestion in Jinan by as much as 20%, which DiDi claims saves more than 30,000 hours of travel time per year for local commuters. 

Controlling about 80% of the ride-hailing market in China, DiDi says it obtains more than 20 billion queries for route planning and 15 billion queries for geolocation daily. This results in more than 4,500 terabytes of route data that is processed via DiDi’s cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies.