Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing platform, has launched a US$10mil special relief fund to help drivers in its international markets cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Beijing-based company will provide financial relief to its drivers and delivery couriers diagnosed with the deadly disease, it said in a statement on March 13.

The move, which follows similar relief efforts for the domestic business, is aimed at ensuring public safety and providing support to partners impacted by the virus in international markets across Asia and Latin America.

Earlier this week Didi launched ride-hailing services in Panama amid the outbreak, marking the sixth Latin American country where it has operations, alongside Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica.

“It is deeply moving to see so many partners continue to keep our cities running during these challenging times,” said Jean Liu, president of Didi, “there is no doubt in our mind that Didi as a company also needs to do our part.”

The move comes as fellow ride-haling service providers Uber and Lyft announced plans to compensate drivers affected by the virus, including relief funds and paid sick leave for those who are placed in quarantine.

Shares of Uber and Lyft have plunged 27% and 45.2% respectively since the start of the year amid mounting concerns about reduced mobility orders as a result of the virus, as people across the world shun all forms of public transport for fear of infection.

Chinese tech companies have collectively pledged billions of yuan to help fight the epidemic. Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post, offered a 1bil yuan donation in January to help buy medical materials for hospitals in Hubei province and Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The Tencent Charity Foundation announced in January that it had offered 300mil yuan in aid, half of which was used to purchase medical masks and other medical materials. China’s biggest online services delivery company Meituan Dianping has offered a total of 300mil yuan , 200mil yuan of which has been used to support medical staff in the worst affected areas of China.

Didi said it had prepared contingency measures to protect the health of drivers and couriers in each county and would work in line with WHO guidelines and local requirements, according to the statement.

“We hope this fund will help support our partners and protect the safety of this platform,” Liu said. “We will continue to work with health authorities to see how we can best prepare our communities as the situation develops.”

 - SCMP