The world’s largest mobile transportation platform Didi Chuxing has partnered with Chinese traffic management authorities to introduce its new innovative integrated solution for smart city traffic management in the country. The platform has been named as the DiDi Smart Transportation Brain.
The smart city traffic management tool has been introduced in twenty cities across China and is guided by three fundamental features which are Discover, Decide and Deploy.
By utilizing the platform’s robust anonymized traffic data in addition to data resources from local government and business partners, the solution facilitates real-time data and leverages cloud computing and AI-based technologies in order to provide cities with a diverse range of transportation infrastructure improvements.
Some of the improvements will include smart traffic signals, reversible lanes, traffic management programs and traffic flow measurements. The Smart Transportation Brain has been tipped to ultimately transform mobility in China which has been plagued by urban congestion and traffic woes for decades.
One indicative example of the platform’s success is in the capital city of Shandong Province which installed smart traffic lights signals at 344 road intersections which it claims has saved more than 30,000 hours of travel time for local commuters, which equates to an annual saving of 11.5 million hours. Traffic delays in the city have been reduced by 10% to 20% overall. The partnership between Didi Chuxing and Chinese transportation executives has resulted in the implementation of smart traffic signals in 1,200 intersections nationwide.
Founder and CEO of Didi Chuxing, Cheng Wei called its new platform revolutionary and unique and said that the transportation industry, not just in China, but on a global basis has changed irreversibly and technology must be embraced and adopted in order to provide mobility solutions.
The CEO said, “Over the past five years, transportation has rapidly come online around the world. In China, 80 per cent of Chinese taxi drivers pick up riders using DiDi’s platform. With smart transportation core to DiDi’s strategy, we are closely engaged with the physical offline aspect, bringing a unique offering to cities.”
Zhang Bo, CTO of Didi Chuxing, said the partnership reiterated its total commitment to transforming the transportation industry in the country. He said, “DiDi is committed to becoming a provider of smart transportation services as we view people, vehicles and traffic lights as the essential components of our traffic system. By making use of DiDi big data capabilities, the Smart Transportation Brain will continue evolving to upgrade the integrated solution for urban traffic problems.”
Didi Chuxing offers a full range of app-based transportation options for over 450 million users, including Taxi, Express, Premier, Luxe, Hitch, Bus, Minibus, Designated Driving, Car Rental, Enterprise Solutions and Bike-Sharing. With its daily rides reaching up to 25 million, over 21 million drivers and car owners are generating flexible income on DiDi platform. DiDi acquired Uber China in August 2016.