As of June 1, 2015, China's most popular taxi-hailing app, Didi Kuaidi, launched its carpooling feature, called "Didi Shun Feng Che." The app is the brainchild of startup tech companies Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache.

The app's carpooling feature uses advanced matching technology to pair up taxis with commuters looking for a cab ride. While "Shun Feng Che" is currently live in Beijing alone, Didi Kuaidi claims that it plans to expand the service to 26 cities in China by the end of the month.

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The tech company responsible for this app also said that, to date, they have already signed one million drivers to the platform. Each driver will be using various rates, which will be based on each city. Standard rates are at 5-10 CNY ($0.80-$1.60), and an additional 1 CNY will be added with each succeeding kilometer passed.

An article in FT.com mentioned that Didi Kuaidi does not intend to make money out of the "Shun Feng Che" carpooling service. Instead, this feature will be offered for free, as a means of relieving the "pain point" of the Chinese rush hour traffic. The company also aims to turn this feature into a step towards environmental efforts; a bold step for a country with more than 154 million vehicles.

So, what exactly are the benefits of carpooling, and why would Chinese commuters embrace this new app feature? For one, "Shun Feng Che" helps people save money, and not just because it's a free app feature. With gas prices soaring to dizzying heights on a daily basis, it pays to keep from having to drive every so often, and what better way to get off the driver's seat than by getting into a carpool system?

The decrease in private vehicles on the road directly improves the flow of traffic and prevents massive, nightmarish congestion. In turn, this also helps reduce air pollution by a significant margin. Large cities like Beijing contribute a significant amount of daily smog and smoke to the Chinese airspace.

Although, it is said that carpooling comes with its downsides too. For one, the comfort and privacy of Chinese taxis could be compromised when there's three or four strangers on the cab.

Tagstaxi app, carpool, traffic, Didi Kuaidi, Didi Shun Feng Che