This could be great for both companies in the long term, but in the short term they need to solve the language barrier problem.
I assert that the vast majority of Lyft users (and even the subset that intends to visit China in 2016) do not speak Chinese. Furthermore, >99.5% of Didi's current rides are for Chinese passengers, and very few of their drivers speak English.
This isn't just a problem for Lyft/Didi. I have used Uber 18 times in the past week, exclusively in China. On all 18 occasions, I received a phone call from the driver within 100 seconds of allocation. They asked me to confirm my current location, and my destination. I did this in Chinese. 2 or 3 of the drivers had passable English. The other drivers would have failed to communicate with a non-Chinese-speaking visitor from the US.
Uber is experimenting with solving this by adding an additional 'English' service next to the existing UberX, People's Uber etc. But they don't have many drivers who can speak English, so the quoted wait times for that service are something like 5x the wait time for People's Uber.
Didi isn't as reliant on foreigners for growth, so what is their incentive to attract English-speaking drivers who can adequately serve Lyft customers?
Your premise that drivers need to speak English is incorrect. We are talking about two parties with aligned goals, smartphones and automated translation tools available, even human translators available by phone if required.
However, I agree with your statement that foreigners are nearly irrelevant to the vehicle booking market in China. Frankly this move sounds like it's mostly about marketing hype.
"Your premise that drivers need to speak English is incorrect."
Next time you have non-Chinese-speaking friends visiting you in China, have them try to get around using Ubers, without your help. I'd be very surprised if their successful journeys (picked up and dropped off in correct places) are more than 50% of the total.
With a taxi hailed in the street, you just need the destination address on a business card or piece of paper. With Uber, it was often a challenge for them to find you to pick you up, before they started calling every time.
Uhh ... heard of GPS? Wifi? Bluetooth? Any of these could assist with geo-locating the other party without the need for conversation. Similarly, a shot of the surroundings with a phone camera.
Yes, someone _could_ build a system/process which would solve the problem. The thing is, no one has done that _yet_.
That's why Uber has introduced an 'English' service as a workaround. Sure, the wait time might be 5x the other services, but the driver has a better chance of finding you if you don't speak Chinese.
I stand by what I wrote earlier: a non-Chinese-speaking tourist hailing regular Ubers in China (UberX or People's Uber) has a ~50% chance of being picked up at the right place without excessive delay or confusion.
Because incorrect location dots are so frequent here that every_single_time you order an Uber, the driver will phone you and ask you where you are (e.g. cross streets, landmark, ...).
If you don't speak Chinese, then you're going to have a hard time replying.
I assert that the vast majority of Lyft users (and even the subset that intends to visit China in 2016) do not speak Chinese. Furthermore, >99.5% of Didi's current rides are for Chinese passengers, and very few of their drivers speak English.
This isn't just a problem for Lyft/Didi. I have used Uber 18 times in the past week, exclusively in China. On all 18 occasions, I received a phone call from the driver within 100 seconds of allocation. They asked me to confirm my current location, and my destination. I did this in Chinese. 2 or 3 of the drivers had passable English. The other drivers would have failed to communicate with a non-Chinese-speaking visitor from the US.
Uber is experimenting with solving this by adding an additional 'English' service next to the existing UberX, People's Uber etc. But they don't have many drivers who can speak English, so the quoted wait times for that service are something like 5x the wait time for People's Uber.
Didi isn't as reliant on foreigners for growth, so what is their incentive to attract English-speaking drivers who can adequately serve Lyft customers?