A designated driver service in China faces backlash for hiring only female chauffeurs, raising safety concerns for the drivers. - Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
BEIJING: A service in southern China offering designated drivers for intoxicated patrons is facing severe criticism for its policy of exclusively recruiting female chauffeurs, which has raised safety concerns for these drivers.
The Guangdong-based company Tiane Jiadao, founded last year, launched an advertising campaign at a Guangzhou subway station promoting its services with the claim that “female drivers drive more carefully”.
The advertisement specified that the company was seeking female drivers aged 22 to 45 who had held Class C light motor vehicle driver’s licences for at least two years.
The advertisement offered its drivers an annual salary of 300,000 yuan (US$42,000), nearly tripling the average annual salary in Guangdong province, which was 109,200 yuan in 2023-24.
However, the company’s female chauffeur policy has raised safety concerns as it promised to deliver service “as good as a flight attendant”.
A company spokesperson, identified as Kang, told the Chinese media outlet eastday.com that most orders they received were from “drunk bosses”.
In June, a chat app screenshot circulated online suggesting that the company was providing sexual services.
The company denied the rumour and stated they had reported the insinuations to the police. It also assured that all its rides are recorded with in-car audio and GPS to ensure the drivers’ safety.
Several female drivers on the platform complained on Douyin, the mainland version of TikTok, that male customers had sexually harassed them. Kang did not respond to inquiries regarding these complaints.
Kang mentioned that drivers could earn the advertised salary if they worked full-time and engaged in additional promotional activities, such as “wearing their uniforms and distributing business cards in busy areas from 6pm to 2am.”
Tiane Jiadao operates as a WeChat mini-programme, and the Post found that it charges 58 yuan (US$8.2) for the first three kilometres of a ride between 6am and 11pm. This rate is higher than that of one of China’s largest designated driving service companies, eDaijia, which charges about 40 yuan (US$5.6) for the first 10 kilometres.
On social media, many users voiced their concerns about the service, questioning its ability to protect the drivers.
One online observer stated: “The company claimed its female drivers were well-protected, but the drivers told a different story.”
Another criticised the company, asserting it was implicitly promoting female drivers as a sexual resource rather than as professional drivers.
“The company’s decision to emphasise the phrase “drunk bosses” appears to be a stunt that seeks to mislead people. It may boost their business in the short term, but it harms the image of women in the long run,” the individual commented on Weibo. - South China Morning Post
