Produced by | Bullet Finance

The competition among travel platforms is becoming increasingly fierce, with price wars, public opinion wars, subsidy wars... After several rounds, each platform has found that both the aggregation taxi platform and the online car-hailing platform have encountered growth bottlenecks.

At present, the core issue plaguing travel platforms is how to ensure stable business growth. In this context, finding the key to breaking the deadlock has become a top priority.

For travel platforms to truly break the deadlock, they must return to their original intentions. Because the true value of a travel platform does not lie in how many contracted drivers it has or how many vehicles it can mobilize, but rather in whether it can meet users' travel needs to the greatest extent. This is not only the foundation for the development of travel platforms but also the starting point for breaking the vicious cycle of competition.

Based on this logic, Dida Chuxing can be considered a pioneer, continuously exploring an alternative path for travel.

At the recent 2024 Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Conference, Duan Jianbo, Vice President of Technology at Dida Chuxing, mentioned three prospects for cooperation with Tencent Maps, including exploring more cooperation based on user scenarios to enhance scenario-based experience and jointly build data value; jointly promoting the expansion of travel business and smart cockpits; and jointly exploring cooperation in driverless cars and Robotaxi.

This undoubtedly provides a new perspective for the industry to re-recognize the value dimensions of travel platforms. That is, while travel platforms require a large amount of basic data from mapping platforms, they are also data platforms for travel. The massive amount of user travel mileage data (desensitized), as well as a large number of real-time user feedback, are crucial for mapping platforms to enhance the quality of their basic data and improve the accuracy and real-time nature of positioning and navigation.

Additionally, the commercialization of autonomous driving has become the biggest future vision for the current travel industry, as evidenced by Ruqi Chuxing's status as the "first Robotaxi stock." Of course, everyone is currently in the exploratory stage, and the starting line is roughly the same.

It can be seen that after more than a decade of development, driven by the wave of technological change, the intrinsic value and external boundaries of travel platforms are expanding, and more new possibilities are emerging.

As a company established ten years ago with 370 million users, having facilitated 1.2 billion shared empty seats over the past decade, and focusing on the digitization of ride-sharing and taxis, what kind of fourth value space will Dida Chuxing encounter?

How can the collaboration between mapping and travel platforms accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving?

In the wave of autonomous driving commercialization, maps and travel platforms are demonstrating increasing innovative value, and their deep collaboration is further enhancing this value.

In the commercialization process of autonomous taxis, map location services have become a core "infrastructure." Real-time road information updates are crucial for the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. Future autonomous driving requires more precise and dynamic road information combined with actual road conditions, which necessitates continuous C-end feedback to improve the predictive accuracy of autonomous vehicles.

Furthermore, this integration offers new possibilities for intelligent traffic management. Through real-time monitoring and data analysis, traffic signal control and traffic flow management can be optimized, reducing congestion and enhancing the overall efficiency of the transportation system.

High-precision maps are crucial infrastructure for the commercialization of autonomous driving, directly impacting the safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles rely on high-precision maps for route planning, road condition assessment, and intelligent vehicle control. The more accurate and real-time the road condition information provided by digital maps, the more precise the judgments made by autonomous vehicles, enabling longer-term planning.

The vast amount of travel data and real-time user feedback from travel platforms can significantly enhance the accuracy and real-time nature of high-precision maps.

Moreover, to make autonomous driving systems smarter, safer, and able to accurately navigate various complex road conditions, a significant amount of real user travel and driving behavior data is required as a reference, and travel platforms are the primary source of such data.

When travel platforms collaborate deeply with mapping platforms, they further strengthen the empowerment and support for the commercialization of autonomous driving, delivering greater incremental value to the user experience of both parties.

Taking Tencent Maps and Dida Chuxing as examples, Tencent Maps leverages its robust technical foundation to provide Dida Chuxing with superior user experiences in terms of positioning, navigation, road networks, and base maps. Meanwhile, Dida Chuxing supplements Tencent Maps with real-time and accurate information through its abundant travel trajectory data and massive real-time user feedback, further enhancing the accuracy and real-time nature of the maps and providing important insights for Tencent Maps to upgrade its mapping experience.

What role do travel platforms play in the commercialization process of autonomous driving?

The commercialization of autonomous driving and Robotaxi will not only reshape the industry landscape, facilitating smarter, more efficient, and safer transportation but also revolutionize the mass travel experience. This process requires collaboration from multiple parties, and in this context, travel platforms are demonstrating increasing value.

On the one hand, the commercialization of autonomous driving requires travel demand and users, and travel platforms, as mature supply-demand matching and user operation platforms, have a profound understanding of the travel market and users, having accumulated extensive experience in products, technology, and operational services. These factors facilitate the rapid validation and evolution of autonomous driving business models, leading to the gradual exploration of more mature application modes.

Essentially, the core function of travel platforms lies in operations and services, which are precisely the best support for the commercialization of autonomous driving. This is evident from the business layouts of various travel platforms, including Baidu, Xiangdao Chuxing, PonyPilot, Weride GO, and Ruqi Chuxing, in the area of Robotaxi.

It can be said that in the process of autonomous driving commercialization, the collaborative construction among mapping platforms, travel platforms, automakers, and autonomous driving technology companies will achieve greater industrial synergies, complement each other's advantages, and enable a higher-quality autonomous driving commercialization process, presenting a significant opportunity for the travel industry.

However, this process also faces some unresolved issues, such as whether the aggressive commercialization of autonomous driving implies the disruption of traditional industries, potentially triggering negative social effects. Is there a better path that can make the commercialization of autonomous driving a harmonious and mutually beneficial endeavor, bringing significant industrial innovation and ESG values, thereby upgrading traditional industries and fostering broader social welfare?

It can be said that everyone is exploring ways to find a new development path that balances the interests of all parties in the process of autonomous driving commercialization. Dida Chuxing's inherent ESG attributes, unique business model, and differentiated strategic path are poised to bring about new opportunities in the commercialization of autonomous driving. Additionally, Dida Chuxing's shareholders include NIO, Yiche, and JD.com, fostering synergies within the automotive travel industry chain and enabling greater strategic coordination in the commercialization of autonomous driving.

For instance, in the ride-sharing business, as autonomous driving technology becomes more commercialized, it is conceivable that on the way to work, Dida drivers could allow their cars to drive autonomously while still sharing empty seats with commuters on the same route. After the autonomous vehicle drops them off at the office, they could entrust the vehicle to the Dida platform for commercial operation during working hours, generating additional revenue through autonomous driving.

Over the past decade, Dida Chuxing has built a strong foundation of trust with nearly 18 million certified drivers. Combined with Dida's rich product offerings and user operation experience, this new business model is poised for rapid implementation.

In the taxi sector, Dida Chuxing's new taxi travel strategy relies on existing taxis to create a new integrated mobile travel mode that combines street hailing and online booking. In the future, this will enable Robotaxi to accept both street hails and online bookings, further enhancing vehicle operational efficiency and making vehicles more intelligent.

It is reported that Dida Chuxing is currently exploring a commercialization model for Robotaxi based on its new taxi travel strategy with partners, which will eventually form a multi-party industrial alliance.

Over the years, Dida Chuxing has conducted in-depth practices in taxi digitization and the co-construction of the taxi Internet of Things with various regions. For instance, the Taxi Smart Code introduced in 2019 has provided nearly 390 million street-hailing passengers with a digital travel experience. Meanwhile, Dida Chuxing has leveraged AI algorithms and big data technology to explore taxi pooling and dynamic pricing with partner cities, enhancing passenger experience and driver income. Furthermore, Dida Chuxing and various regions have jointly established a taxi star rating evaluation system based on multi-dimensional service big data, as well as promoted the integration of in-vehicle devices and mobile phones, paving the way for the commercialization of Robotaxi in the taxi sector.

Song Zhongjie, CEO of Dida Chuxing, once said, "Society is driven forward by technological progress. Autonomous driving technology and Robotaxi, I believe, will definitely improve overall travel efficiency and address some of the existing issues in the travel industry."

Currently, amidst a wave of technological changes, including autonomous driving, Dida Chuxing is exploring new models and opportunities. It is seeking new paths for enhancing user experience and efficiency at the micro level, as well as improving the operational efficiency of urban transportation systems at the macro level, thereby uncovering the multi-dimensional value of travel platforms.

Where is the fourth value space for travel platforms?

As the marginal effects of traditional subsidies and price wars gradually diminish, how can travel platforms explore more new and broader value creation spaces? Where exactly lies the future value space?

By examining the exploration and new opportunities presented by travel platforms in the commercialization of autonomous travel, it becomes evident that this is not a daunting task.

Firstly, by choosing differentiated tracks and development paths, travel platforms are essentially building their core competitiveness, which increases the likelihood of accessing unique opportunities that may be out of reach for other platforms.

For example, Dida Chuxing focuses on innovating in the commercial operation of autonomous ride-sharing while actively advancing the digitization of taxis. These initiatives have helped Dida Chuxing establish solid relationships with taxi industries and regulatory authorities across regions, facilitating the advancement of Robotaxi projects and securing more support and resources. Through this differentiated development strategy, Dida Chuxing has not only stood out in the fiercely competitive market but also laid a solid foundation for the future promotion of autonomous driving technology.

Secondly, platforms can specialize in vertical development, striving to become professional and focused travel operation and service platforms in specific verticals. By deeply understanding user needs and the travel market, platforms can optimize their products, services, and operations to their fullest potential, showcasing stronger complementary advantages when collaborating with more partners.

For instance, a platform can delve into specific areas such as business travel, tourist travel, or student commuting, conducting in-depth research and development to better satisfy personalized needs through refined operations, offering more precise and efficient services.

Thirdly, technology and data drive the development. Essentially, travel platforms are technology and big data companies, requiring a keen insight into cutting-edge technologies and the ability to quickly adapt. Continuous technological advancements offer travel platforms more possibilities, from artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things, from big data analysis to cloud computing. The application of cutting-edge technologies not only enhances user experience but also optimizes operational efficiency.

Fourthly, user scale advantage. The travel industry exhibits strong network and scale effects, and ride-sharing platforms, in particular, boast larger user bases and stronger ecosystem extension capabilities, facilitating more cross-industry collaboration opportunities and growth prospects. For example, Dida Chuxing currently has nearly 370 million registered users, with synchronized growth on both the supply and demand sides, contributing to the further expansion of the value dimensions of travel platforms.

From a broader perspective, Dida Chuxing is exploring broader value creation spaces beyond its role as a travel platform. These new collaborative opportunities stem largely from its commitment to not adding additional vehicles to the roads but rather enhancing the efficiency of existing transportation capacity. This may offer insights: when the internet industry tends to continually expand its boundaries, focusing on its core competencies can actually lead to greater opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.