On December 24th, 22 online-hailing cars in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province disappeared overnight, sparking a frenzy on Baidu’s hot search list on December 26th.
These 22 online-hailing cars were operating normally within Zhengzhou city, and the drivers had been paying the fees required by the platform on time. However, when the drivers were ready to start their shifts the next day, they discovered that all the vehicles were missing. In frustration, after reporting the incident to the police, the drivers found the “missing” cars in a parking lot, towed away by another company.
In a video report by Daxiang News on December 25th, some drivers mentioned they had been operating for several months, while others had only been driving for a few days. They all had paid a deposit of 5000 yuan and had been paying monthly rent ranging from 2000 to 3000 yuan on time. The sudden disappearance of their vehicles was unacceptable to them, especially since they couldn’t reach the owner of the rental company. Moreover, the cars were towed away without any prior notice, raising concerns about potential loss of valuables left in the vehicles.
A representative of the company that towed the vehicles explained that these cars belonged to their company and were taken back due to unpaid rent and expired rental agreements. They claimed they were merely reclaiming their own company’s cars.
Regarding the abrupt repossession, the company representative shared that they had encountered a situation in the past where they requested to repossess the vehicles, but eventually had all four wheels removed as a consequence.
The boss of the company responsible for renting out these vehicles stated that the issue stemmed from disputes with the previous company. He promised that drivers who wanted to return the vehicles could receive a refund of the rent, while those seeking a vehicle replacement could have their request fulfilled.
A lawyer commented in the video that reclaiming the vehicles should have been communicated to the users in advance, following proper procedures. The current actions were deemed inappropriate by the legal expert.
The news of the incident sparked discussions among netizens, who raised concerns about the management of online-hailing cars, platform responsibilities, and the protection of owners’ rights. The public expressed doubts about the chaotic market management, lack of supervision, and the resulting trust crisis consumers may face towards the platforms. Additionally, the sudden disappearance of online-hailing cars could lead drivers into unemployment dilemmas and difficulties in reclaiming their deposits and rent.