On June 22, ByteDance’s AI app Doubao began a limited trial of a one-click ride-hailing service in Beijing and Hangzhou, with ride services provided by Caocao Mobility.
The overall user flow is reportedly similar to DiDi’s AI-powered ride-hailing service.
Users do not need to switch to a separate ride-hailing app. Instead, they can simply state their travel request in the Doubao app’s chat interface. The system automatically recognizes departure and destination points, number of passengers, and vehicle preferences, and then matches users with Caocao Mobility’s fleet. After users confirm the route, vehicle type, and price with one click, Caocao Mobility immediately dispatches the order.
Alibaba’s Qwen has already been expanding into AI ride-hailing, building a mobility service loop through Amap. Doubao’s partnership with Caocao Mobility therefore positions ByteDance in direct competition with Qwen.
The choice of partner also sends a strategic signal from ByteDance.
DiDi has announced that it will be among the first platforms integrated into Tencent’s AI ecosystem, suggesting it has already picked a side. Given DiDi’s historical ties with Tencent, it is highly unlikely to integrate with Doubao in the near term.
Backed by Geely, Caocao Mobility is much smaller than DiDi in scale. According to media reports, DiDi has long maintained over 70% of China’s ride-hailing market, while Caocao’s share remains in the single digits. But this scale gap gives ByteDance greater leverage at the negotiating table.
Both sides have clear strategic incentives. Caocao seeks to leverage Doubao’s 360 million monthly active users to seed user habits ahead of the autonomous driving era. Doubao, meanwhile, needs a mobility partner with an autonomous-driving narrative to differentiate itself from “DiDi’s integration into WeChat.” Each side gets what it needs, making this likely to be a much deeper tie-up than a standard aggregator partnership.
