Taxi miniapp launched

Shenzhen's transport bureau, in cooperation with Tencent and Shenzhen’s taxation bureau, launched taxi miniapp 出租车助手 Thursday, offering electronic receipts, post-ride satisfaction surveys, and lost-and-found services.

The miniapp is the first product by the three parties in building an intelligent taxi and commuting service platform.

With the app, passengers can request an e-receipt during the ride instead of waiting for a printed receipt upon arriving at their destinations.

The app also marks the first time in China’s cab industry history that block chain technologies have been used in issuing e-receipts.

Riders can also obtain an e-receipt at any time after the trip has ended via the records kept in the miniapp.

“The e-receipts are kept in the WeChat Card Wallet. The block chain e-receipts are traceable and can’t be falsified. It reduces costs, simplifies procedures, and ensures data safety and private privacy,” said Zhuo Yueqiang, general manager of the Government Cooperation Center of Tencent WeChat Payment.

Through the miniapp, riders can rate the service provided by drivers and give suggestions for improvement. The data is simultaneously uploaded to the cab administration department, which uses the data to evaluate drivers’ performance.

If a passenger leaves items behind in the cab, they can also call a hotline through the app to request the items’ return assisted by the information shared with the cab drivers and the industry administration department.