Chinese ride-hailing drivers offer free massages, karaoke & crafts. In Shenzhen, 12-hour shifts net ~300 yuan. Fares below 1 yuan/km. Some illegal.
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Faced with fierce market saturation and shrinking profits, ride-sharing and taxi drivers across China are turning to creative and even bizarre extra services to stand out and attract passengers. From selling snacks, handmade crafts and jade accessories to offering in-car karaoke, coffee service and on-the-go haircuts, drivers are sprucing up ordinary rides with unconventional perks amid cutthroat industry involution.
Ride-sharing jobs, together with food delivery and courier work, are regarded as the top three flexible occupations for unemployed workers in China. The industry saw a booming surge around 2015, and the country had amassed 7.5 million licensed ride-sharing drivers by 2024. However, rapid workforce expansion has quickly led to oversaturation and intensified competition nationwide.
Local transport authorities have sounded the alarm over the market’s oversupply. In April, Shenzhen’s transportation bureau warned of severe saturation in the city’s ride-hailing sector. Official data showed that each ride-hailing vehicle completed an average of merely 13 orders per day, while per-kilometer fares continue to decline. In many non-rush-hour periods across smaller cities, the unit price can drop below one yuan (US$0.15) per kilometer.
Profit margins have been squeezed drastically for frontline drivers. In Shenzhen, drivers who work 12-hour daily shifts only net around 300 yuan (US$45) after deducting car rental fees, charging costs and insurance expenses. A 2025 report by the Research Centre for New Employment Forms in China further revealed that the average age of ride-hailing drivers across 13 provinces stands at roughly 40, with 60 percent serving as the sole breadwinner of their families, shouldering heavy economic pressure.
Driven by mounting survival pressure, drivers have resorted to innovative side businesses and upgraded in-car services to boost income and customer experience. Many have transformed their vehicles into mobile shops. A Harbin driver sells pixel art bead crafts handmade by his daughter, once earning 93 yuan from artwork sales on a trip with only a 10-yuan fare. A Sichuan driver turns his car into a roaming street stall, selling handmade accessories crafted by his unemployed wife, with roadside sales even outperforming physical street stalls. A Shanghai former jewelry shop owner also decorates his vehicle with dazzling jade products, surprising passengers with his luxurious mobile store.
Apart from vending goods, some drivers have upgraded travel experiences with entertaining and functional amenities. Several vehicles are equipped with karaoke machines and disco balls, allowing passengers to scan QR codes and sing during rides.
Drivers even offer free drinks as rewards for passengers who score above 95 points in the singing rating system. One passenger extended their short 3-kilometer trip and picked up friends just to enjoy the unique in-car karaoke experience. Other creative upgrades include on-site coffee service, serving Americanos and lattes priced from 22 to 29 yuan, and installed massage mats providing free two-minute trials to tempt passengers into paid extended sessions.
Some drivers offer offline life services on the go. A taxi driver in Jiangsu province provides affordable 8-yuan (US$1.2) haircuts while waiting for ride orders, adding a quirky new service to traditional taxi travel.
These creative extras are widely seen as a typical manifestation of “involution” — or neijuan — referring to excessive internal competition with marginal returns. To secure high-quality order allocations, many drivers even accept unprofitable platform orders, sacrificing short-term gains for better long-term dispatch priority.
The viral trend has sparked mixed public reactions online. Some netizens praise the drivers’ resourcefulness, calling the karaoke and coffee upgrades relaxing and refreshing additions to daily commutes. Others show rational concerns, arguing that random product displays and modified equipment may compromise travel safety. A netizen suggested drivers replace physical goods with product catalogues to eliminate hidden dangers while retaining side business income.
Moreover, such practices violate official regulations and platform rules. Ride-hailing platforms prohibit in-vehicle commodity sales and have penalized drivers whose unconventional services went viral. In addition, selling food and beverages requires specialized business licenses, which most drivers do not possess. Critics also point out problematic details, such as mandatory free massage functions, with one passenger suffering extreme discomfort from the massage mat due to a pre-existing rib fracture, describing the ride as torture. Many passengers conclude that cleanliness and safety remain far more important than fancy but risky extra services.
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Editor: Crystal H
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