竞争与监管夹击下 优步斥重金撬开中国市场

HONG KONG — Uber is spending money at abreakneck rate to crack the China market — evenpaying its drivers more than the fares they collect.

香港——优步(Uber)正在以极快的速度投入资金，进军中国市场——甚至在提供比司机赚取的车费还要高的补贴。

Fat with almost $6 billion in venture capital, Uber,based in San Francisco, is doling out bonuses up tothree times the amount of its fares, in a bet that itsexceptional rise in the United States can bematched in China.

总部位于旧金山的优步坐拥将近60亿美元(约合370亿元人民币)的风险资本。它给中国司机发放的补贴至多达到乘客车费的三倍，希望借此在中国市场上复制它在美国的惊人崛起。

So far, its strategy is working, shattering prevailing assumptions that young American techcompanies cannot compete against local rivals.

到目前为止，优步的策略发挥了作用，推翻了盛行的一种说法，即新兴的美国科技企业无法与中国当地的对手展开竞争。

The spending spree has attracted droves of drivers like Jacky, a systems analyst at aninternational telecommunications company, who recently began moonlighting for Uber with hisFord Fiesta in Shanghai. In late May, Uber said it had created more than 60,000 jobs in Chinaover the past month, with the spread of its service spurring protests from some taxi drivers.

发放优厚补贴的热潮吸引了大批司机，比如在一家国际电信公司担任系统分析员的杰基(Jacky)。他最近开始成为优步的兼职司机，在上海开着自己的福特嘉年华(Ford Fiesta)赚外快。优步在5月底宣称，公司过去一个月在中国创造了六万多个就业机会。优步服务的盛行还导致一些出租车司机发起抗议。

“This is a really great opportunity for me to make some extra money, said Jacky, 34, whodeclined to give his full name because he was releasing internal information about Uber.

“这是我赚外快的大好机会，34岁的杰基说。他拒绝提供全名，因为他透露的是有关优步的内部讯息。

Though other ride-hailing services also offer driver bonuses, Jacky said Uber pays the most. Inthe first three weeks of May, he said, he made the equivalent of about $1,000 from Uber — oralmost half of his $2,100 monthly salary at the telecommunications company — with themajority of his earnings as a driver coming from the subsidies.

虽然其他打车软件也为司机提供补贴，但杰基表示，优步给得最多。他透露，在5月的前三周里，他通过优步获得了大约1000美元的收入——几乎是他在电信公司的2100美元月薪的一半。作为司机，他的大部分收入来自优步提供的补贴。

While China represents huge scale as a market, it has fended off the entry of just about everymajor Western technology start-up. Uber, a five-year-old company that operates in more than310 cities and 58 countries worldwide, faces homegrown Chinese rivals like Didi Kuaidi, whichhas more than 90 percent of the market and is backed by two of the largest Chinese Internetcompanies, Alibaba and Tencent. It may also have to grapple with a fickle central governmentthat could shut it out of the market overnight.

虽然中国市场规模庞大，但它阻止了几乎所有主要的西方科技初创企业进入市场。优步这家成立五年已在58个国家逾310座城市运营的公司在中国面对的是滴滴快的等本土竞争对手。滴滴快的占据的市场份额超过了90%，背后是中国的两大互联网巨头阿里巴巴和腾讯。优步可能还需要应对变化无常的中央政府，防止被其突然赶出中国市场。

Yet more affluent and cosmopolitan Chinese have flocked to Uber’s service, attracted by faresthat are on average at least 35 percent cheaper than taxis, with the cars generally moreluxurious than cabs and drivers who offer free water and are typically more polite.

不过，越来越多富裕而国际化的中国人纷纷开始使用优步的服务。他们被优步的质优价廉吸引。优步的乘车费用平均比出租车的车费低至少35%，而提供服务的汽车又通常比出租车高档，司机会提供免费的水，一般也更有礼貌。

Uber is providing more than 100,000 rides a day in China, according to two people withknowledge of the company’s internal metrics, who declined to be identified because thenumbers are confidential. That is about 10 percent of the total one million rides a day thatUber said it was getting companywide in December.

了解公司内部数据的两人表示，优步每天会在中国提供逾10万次接送服务。由于相关数据属于商业机密，这两人要求不具名。优步称，去年12月，全公司的接送服务总量为每天100万次。前述数据相当于这个总量的10%左右。

In the central Chinese city of Chengdu alone, Uber has attracted 20,000 drivers since 2014,compared with 26,000 in New York City who have come aboard since 2011. Travis Kalanick,Uber’s chief executive, is teaming up with the Chinese Internet giant Baidu and makingmultiple visits to the country, including one last month to the provincial capital of Guiyang inthe southwest.

从2014年开始，优步仅在中国中部城市成都就吸引了2万名司机，而在纽约市，从2011年开始提供服务算起，累积的数字为2.6万。公司首席执行官特拉维斯·卡兰尼克(Travis Kalanick)正在与中国网络行业的巨头百度开展合作。他多次访华，上个月还曾到访位于中国西南部的省会城市贵阳。

“Uber is doing quite well in the first-tier cities, and it’s a bit of a surprise, said You Na, ananalyst at ICBC International based in Hong Kong. “The subsidies make a big difference.

“优步在一线城市的表现非常好，有点意外，工银国际驻香港的分析师尤娜说。“补贴产生了很大的影响。

An Uber spokeswoman declined to comment on the scale of the company’s business in China.Uber is in talks with investors to raise another $1.5 billion or so in a financing that would valueit at $50 billion.

优步的一名女发言人拒绝就公司在中国的业务规模置评。目前，优步正在与投资者进行协商，意图通过新一轮的融资再筹集大概15亿美元。届时公司估值将达500亿美元。

Uber still faces many hurdles in China, where the market is highly competitive, regulated and,at times, eccentric. Chinese tend to favor Chinese-branded services, said Mark Natkin, founderof the research firm Marbridge Consulting in Beijing, though sometimes using a globally leadingbrand — like Uber — has cachet.

优步在中国仍然面临着重重阻碍。中国市场的竞争十分激烈，监管严格，有时还颇为反常。调研企业北京迈博瑞咨询有限公司(Marbridge Consulting)的创始人马克·纳特金(Mark Natkin)认为，中国人倾向于支持本土品牌的服务，尽管有时使用全球著名品牌——比如优步——会让人感觉良好。

Uber has attracted Chinese customers like Li Yufang, 28, a Beijing resident and an employee ata property developer, who switched to Uber in January from other ride-hailing services.

优步吸引了许多中国顾客，28岁的李云芳(音)就是其中之一。在北京生活的李云芳是一家房地产开发公司的员工，于今年1月弃用其他打车服务，开始使用优步。

“The reason I love Uber is because the price is really low compared with taxis or private limos,Ms. Li said.

“我喜欢优步，因为跟出租车和私人豪华轿车相比，它的价格很低，李云芳说。

On Chinese social media, jokes that Uber provides a convenient, self-selecting pool ofpotential husbands for single women have even made the rounds.

在中国的社交媒体上，有人开玩笑，优步为单身女性提供了一个有筛选性的便利择偶途径。这种说法甚至已传播开来。

Uber began tests in China in late 2013 in the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen,focusing on a service that would let people hail rides from licensed limousine companies.Instead of following other Western tech firms, which at times have relied on foreign managerswith little knowledge of China, Uber hired and empowered local people to act as managers to runcity operations as they saw fit. It now operates in nine Chinese cities.

优步从2013年年底在中国南方的广州和深圳开始试运行，只提供让用户从有执照的豪车公司叫车的服务。西方科技企业时常会依赖对中国毫无了解的外国经理人，但优步没有遵循这一路线，它聘请本地人才从事管理岗位，让他们放手用自己觉得最佳的方式去运作。现在优步在中国的九座城市运营。

The company also took a more cautious, cooperative approach in China, unlike in othercountries, where it has brazenly flouted authorities. In December, Uber sold a stake in itself toBaidu and began working to offer its service directly on Baidu’s popular maps application.Uber recently earned praise from the head of a major Chinese Internet industry group forbehaving more like a Chinese company than like an eBay or an Amazon.

在别的国家一向敢于公然挑衅权威的优步，在中国采取了一种更谨慎、更合作的态度。去年12月，优步向百度售出了一部分股份，并开始在百度很受欢迎的地图应用中直接提供优步服务。中国一家主要互联网行业团体的负责人最近称赞优步更像是一家中国公司，而不是像eBay和亚马逊(Amazon)那样。

In October, however, Uber expanded a new service that put it on questionable regulatoryfooting in the country. The service, playfully called People’s Uber after the Marxist languagefavored by the Communist Party, resembles what Uber does elsewhere by letting private driversregister and shuttle passengers for pay. The service runs counter to what is offered bycompanies like Didi Kuaidi, which either enable customers to hail taxis directly or use contractswith private limo companies to offer high-end cars at luxury prices.

然而在10月，优步拓展了一项新服务，让它在中国处在了暧昧的监管处境。这项服务借用了共产党青睐的马克思主义式的语言，戏谑地称作“人民优步(People’s Uber)，它类似于优步在其他国家的做法，即让私家车注册并收费搭载乘客。这项服务与滴滴快的等公司提供的服务构成了竞争，后者要么直接允许乘客叫出租车，要么通过与私人豪车公司签约，以高昂价格提供高端车辆。

It also drew scrutiny from local governments since the drivers are unlicensed. In the last twomonths, local authorities in Chengdu and Guangzhou have raided Uber offices in response tothe questionable legality of People’s Uber.

由于司机都没有执照，所以这项服务受到了地方政府的严厉限制。成都和广州的地方政府，因为人民优步的合法性存疑而突击检查了优步的办公室。

Local traffic authorities in Guangzhou and Chengdu did not respond to requests for comment.At the time of the raids, Uber said it was cooperating with officials. People’s Uber is stilloperating in both cities.

广州和成都的地方交通部门没有回应置评请求。在突击检查之时，优步表示配合官方行动。人民优步在这两个城市仍在经营。

The raids have spurred driver protests. In Chengdu last month, hundreds of Uber driverslashed out at the local traffic police after one driver’s car was impounded.

突击检查招致了司机的抗议。上个月在成都，一名司机的汽车被扣押后，数百名优步司机对当地交警进行了围攻。

People’s Uber has also prompted a battle with Didi Kuaidi, which last month started its ownservice for private drivers, called Kuaiche. A few weeks later, Didi Kuaidi announced aninitiative to spend 1 billion renminbi ($160 million) subsidizing the program in the form ofdiscounts to passengers and driver incentives.

人民优步也对滴滴快的发起了战斗，后者上个月推出了自己的私家车叫车服务——快车。几周之后，滴滴快的宣布，将启动十亿元人民币的补贴项目，向乘客提供折扣，向司机发放奖金。

“We welcome all good competition, said Jean Liu, Didi Kuaidi’s president, at a May 22 mediabriefing. “This is our home market; we love this market so much, we want to make sure it growsin a healthy, sustainable, safe way.

“我们欢迎所有良性的竞争，滴滴快的总裁柳青(Jean Liu)在5月22日的资讯发布会上说。“这是我们的主场，我们很爱这块市场，我们希望确保它以一种健康、安全、可持续的方式增长。

The inducements from both sides are stirring resentment from taxi drivers, similar to whatUber has faced in other countries. In recent weeks, cabdrivers in Tianjin have lashed out atprivate car drivers.

双方的补贴都招致了出租车司机的怨恨，这与优步在其他国家面临的处境相似。最近几周，天津的出租车司机袭击了专车司机。

One woman, whose husband and father-in-law share a taxi in Tianjin, confirmed the protestsbut declined to be named. She said the popularity of services like Uber has cut what taxidrivers can make during the day by about a third.

天津一名不愿具名的女性的丈夫和公公合开一辆出租车，她证实了抗议事件的发生。她表示，优步这样的服务开始流行，使得出租车司机每日的收入下降了三分之一。

Another problem for Uber may be its own drivers. On Taobao, Alibaba’s e-commerce site,vendors run a thriving black market for driver accounts, allowing purchasers to circumventUber’s background checks. Jacky also confirmed reports in local news media that many driverslog fraudulent Uber rides using fake passenger accounts to get some of the bonuses thecompany is offering.

优步面临的另一个问题是自己的司机。在阿里巴巴旗下的电子商务网站淘宝上，卖家推动了一个销售司机账号的活跃黑市，买主可以藉此绕开优步的背景核查。杰基也证实了当地媒体的一些报道，即许多司机使用虚假的乘客账号，骗取该公司提供的一些奖金。

Uber isn’t deterred.

优步并没有退缩。

“We’re particularly optimistic in China, Mr. Kalanick said in a speech in China last month. “I’vejust seen cities everywhere and have found that mayors and city governments are far morefocused on progress in their cities here in China than I’ve seen elsewhere, and it makes meincredibly optimistic.

“我们对中国尤其乐观，卡拉尼克上个月在中国的一次演讲中说。“我在很多地方见到过很多城市，我发现在中国，市长和市政府与我在其他国家见到的相比，都远更关注于自己城市的进步，这让我异常乐观。