Beijing-headquartered Guide (Huang Bao Che in Chinese), a ride-hailing app designed for Chinese travelers visiting destinations abroad, has raised USD 50 million in its Series C+ round, led by Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd, 36Kr reported on Tuesday.
Guide works just like any ride-hailing app, but helps Chinese travelers arrange private transportation in locations where there may be a language barrier. The company specifically takes on Chinese-speaking individuals as driver-partners and tour guides to ensure that there are no hiccups in communication with the clients. Guide claims that it provides professional training to the drivers and guides who are signed on.
The company was set up in December 2014. It claims to have 100,000 driver-partners in more than 1,800 cities spread across 90 countries. Guide says it has served 10 million travelers via its platform.
In 2018, Chinese citizens made 149.7 million outbound trips, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is also operating outside of China to serve its customers while they are overseas. It has formed a joint venture with Softbank Corp to offer its services in five cities in Japan, targeting not only Chinese travelers but also local Japanese residents. The app produced for this joint venture includes real-time Chinese-Japanese text message translation and 24/7 Chinese-language customer support.
36Kr is KrASIA’s parent company.