This is People's Daily Tonight.
Drivers take car-hailing company for a ride
Right next to the Deshengmen bus stop in Xicheng district, below the Deshengmen bridge, a rotary overpass that channels traffic from the 2nd Ring Road to the Badaling Expressway, there are hundreds of taxies parked, with dust on them.
The reporter, tipped off about the location by a taxi driver surnamed Zhang, reached one of the routine parking places in the city.

(Photos: People's Daily App/Dong Feng)

A street cleaner surnamed Zhou told the reporter half of these taxies are not in operation any more.
New options
During recent taxi rides, more than three cabbies this reporter spoke to complained about fewer orders from domestic ride-hailing provider Didi Chuxing.
Some taxi drivers were quite straightforward. They are planning to invest in a car and run their own business, using Didi Chuxing as the tool. Thus they don’t have to pay for the daily rental cost to the taxi company and have their say on their work schedule each day, without worrying about the charges to the company anymore.
Some drivers they know have already jumped to a new taxi company and are running the business using the Didi Chuxing platform.

The taxi drivers also have their own concerns with Didi Chuxing. The freedom comes with a price. The taxi company covers their social security in the payroll package, while Didi Chuxing does not.
Another taxi driver surnamed Li does not agree with the paradox about the new options.
“I’ve done the math and the cost for the car itself, plus repairs and compared against the charges by the taxi company, it’s more or less the same amount. Why bother? I can still have my social security covered. After all, Didi also charges part of the income as service fee,” Li reasoned.
It is now trending among taxi drivers that they will call it a day right after midnight, when the Didi Chuxing platform does not push orders.
“No need to work that hard, my passion has been exhausted. As long as the charges for my taxi company are balanced from my day, I can find peace of mind and go home. I have three years to go before retirement. Most of my generation shares such mindset,” Li added.

Job opportunities
For jobless people, it is a good opportunity to take a test and become a taxi driver. A taxi driver surnamed Zhao told the reporter it took him one year to pass the exam and gain a taxi driver license.
He is one of the hundreds of new taxi drivers in his village, and he is based in Huairou District of Beijing.
“I’m very happy with my new job and income, this is much better than being jobless. My one-year effort for the exam really paid off,” Zhao said.
And that's People's Daily tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by Dong Feng, Shan Xin)