Cover comment | To resolve the dispute over the "air conditioning fee" of online car-hailing, the platform pricing system must have a more cost perspective

Cover News

2024-07-05 20:14Posted on the official account of Sichuan Cover News

□ Jiang Jingjing

Since the beginning of the summer, the controversy caused by the "refusal to turn on the air conditioner" and "the need to add money to turn on the air conditioner" has continued. In some places, due to the increase in extreme hot weather and the rising oil prices, the contradiction between the "air conditioning fee" between online car-hailing and passengers is more prominent. In interviews, whether it is an online ride-hailing driver or a taxi driver, when asked why they don't turn on the air conditioner on a hot day, most of the answers are "I can't afford it". Some online car-hailing practitioners ridiculed that "taking orders is fiercer than a tiger, and getting two pieces of five!" Drivers said that the fuel consumption costs generated by the air conditioner are all borne by themselves, which has a greater impact on income. (Beijing Daily)

In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion about the lack of air conditioning in online car-hailing in summer. In individual complaints, the platform will often make rulings in favor of consumers, which seems to be upholding justice. But on the whole, the platform's attitude on this matter is extremely vague, and it can even be said to be a negative action. In the online car-hailing business, the platform holds the traffic entrance, business channels and the core pricing power, but it is clear that compared with the huge energy it has, the platform has obviously failed to show enough responsibility in this matter. As a result, the contradictions are backlogged to the terminal consumption scenario, resulting in a lose-lose situation for both drivers and passengers.

According to the rules of the platform, the "air conditioning fee" does not belong to the compliant "surcharge", but is defined as the driver's arbitrary charges and additional charges. This seems to be to protect consumers, but in fact it avoids a key question, that is, who should bear the additional costs of turning on the air conditioner? A fact that must be faced is that in many cities today, online car-hailing is a "low-profit operation", with low unit price and low profit per passenger, and drivers earn a lot of hard money from running orders and accumulating a lot of hard money. By default, the platform will bear the cost of turning on the air conditioner by the driver, which will naturally provoke a backlash, and it is difficult to say fair in itself.

Theoretically, online car-hailing should provide services with quality and quantity, but in reality, online car-hailing drivers have to achieve "cost control" to the extreme. Many drivers said that turning on the air conditioner will increase the fuel cost by at least 20 yuan a day, and it will cost 600 yuan a month. Even new energy online car-hailing may face the tricky situation of "turning on the air conditioner and losing power quickly", which will affect the operation time...... The heat is unbearable, and it makes sense for passengers to ask for air conditioning, and it seems understandable that drivers are reluctant to turn on air conditioning. The only thing that has the power to break the deadlock is obviously the ride-hailing platform – since the cost of running the air conditioner is there, we can't turn a blind eye and try to replace the platform design with a driver-ride game.

The controversy surrounding the "air conditioning fee", in fact, penetrates through the most essential problem of platform pricing logic. The pricing model of the ride-hailing platform appears to be dynamic pricing, that is, flexible pricing according to market demand. In reality, however, it seems more appropriate to think of it as "extreme pricing", that is, a combination of pricing based on the highest fare that most passengers can afford and the lowest pay that most drivers can afford. In this pricing system, the cost factor, which is originally crucial, is obviously ignored, or its weight is pitifully small and unreasonable.

We know that the online car-hailing business, at the beginning, was to "burn money for the market", regardless of the cost. But now, as this business matures and enters the stage of stock game, it is time to consider the "cost", especially the "operating cost of the driver", more seriously. The "air conditioning cost" is there, how exactly should it be apportioned? Whether it is to adopt seasonal, differentiated fare pricing, or the platform to make up for driver expenses by giving profits, it should be explained and made clear.

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