An online ride-hailing driver sells freshly ground coffee for 29 yuan in his car. The platform’s customer service responded: The money deducted from the complaint was more than the profit.

Recently, many netizens reported on social platforms that an online ride-hailing driver in Jiangmen, Guangdong, equipped his car with coffee equipment and sold freshly ground coffee at a clearly marked price. This matter sparked heated discussions. Passengers who had taken the vehicle recalled that there was a coffee machine placed in the passenger seat of the vehicle, and a neat price list was posted on the back of the seat.

She thought this business model was very novel, so she took photos of it, but she did not buy it because she was worried about hygiene issues.

From the pictures taken by passengers, it can be seen that the car has created a self-made brand called "Red Light Coffee", which is marked as "freshly ground and drunk, made on site."

Among them, American and Italian coffee are priced at 22 yuan per cup, latte and cappuccino are priced at 29 yuan, and drinks such as lemonade and orange milk tea are also priced at more than 15 yuan.

Passengers analyzed that the name "Red Light Coffee" most likely comes from the driver making drinks for passengers while waiting at the red light.

In response to this matter, Didi platform customer service responded that the platform has strict regulations on drivers’ promotion of products and additional premium services.

According to regulations, the platform prohibits drivers from proactively proposing services and products outside the itinerary to passengers; if the driver does not proactively promote services, the relevant provisions will not be triggered.

However, in the price increase and premium rules, the platform clearly prohibits drivers from increasing prices other than ride-hailing services, such as low-speed waiting fees arising from non-objective itineraries. Once verified, the driver will be held liable.

At present, the platform has not received relevant complaints, but if passengers complain and it is verified that there is a price increase or premium, the driver will have service points deducted and a penalty of 50 to 200 yuan. In serious cases, the driver will be suspended from taking orders for 1 to 30 days.

The staff member also made it clear that the platform does not recommend that drivers place coffee machines in their cars to sell freshly ground coffee. Once a passenger complains, it is very easy to be accused of deducting money. In this way, the money earned is not deducted as much.