Car-hailing app market revs up

Editor's note: The term O2O refers to the online-to-offline business model where consumers can buy products and services online, and obtain, return or exchange them at offline, or bricks-and-mortar, outlets. O2O has been transforming Chinese consumer behavior: with a tap or two on the smartphone, consumers can now order a manicure session at the neighborhood cafe, hail a cab or order a pizza. Venture capital firms and tech giants are betting big on apps that can harness the immense potential of O2O. CHINA DAILY captures the contours of the fascinating trend.

Around one in four of Beijing's more than 20 million population have their own vehicles. Despite the fact that the rate is still low compared with that in the United States, the more than 5 million cars have already driven down the average speed at rush hour in the mega city to 12 kilometers per hour.

With the improvement of people's lives, a growing number of them will want to enjoy the convenience of travelling by car.