I tried to use Didi to pick up a cake. The driver thought I was ordering him a birthday cake.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend from Mexico was living in Shanghai. She wanted to send a birthday cake to her Chinese colleague. She heard you could use Didi to deliver things — not just people.

She was half right.

Didi's services:

Didi is China's Uber. But it's evolved into much more:

1. Didi Taxi (出租车)
Regular taxis, booked through the app. Metered.

2. Didi Express (快车)
Private cars. Cheaper. Most common.

3. Didi Premier (专车)
Luxury cars. Professional drivers. 2-3x the price.

4. Didi Hitch (顺风车)
Carpooling. Drivers going your direction. Cheapest but least reliable.

5. Didi Freight (货运)
For moving stuff, not people. Vans and trucks.

6. Didi Food Delivery (滴滴跑腿)
Yes, Didi also does errands and small deliveries in some cities.

My friend's mistake:

She booked a Didi Express. In the notes, she wrote: "Please pick up a cake from Happy Bakery on Nanjing Road and deliver to [address]."

The driver arrived. Confused.

"I'm not a delivery driver. I'm a taxi."

She explained. He said no. She cancelled. He got a cancellation fee. Everyone was annoyed.

How to actually send things in China:

For documents/small items:
• SF Express (顺丰) — same-day or next-day. Most reliable. ¥15-30.
• Meituan/Ele.me errand service (跑腿) — someone picks up and delivers. ¥10-20.

For food/cakes:
• The bakery usually delivers. Ask when ordering.
• Meituan/Ele.me food delivery — the bakery might be on the app.

For large items:
• Didi Freight (滴滴货运)
• Lalamove (货拉拉)
• SF Freight

For flowers/gifts:
• Use a dedicated flower delivery service (e.g., 爱花居)
• Or Taobao — search "同城鲜花配送" (same-city flower delivery)

The "errand" apps:

• UU跑腿 — dedicated errand service. Pick up anything, deliver anywhere.
• 闪送 — Flash delivery. 1-hour delivery in the same city.
• 达达 — Dada delivery. Often used by businesses.

My Mexican friend eventually used Meituan's errand service. A guy on a scooter picked up the cake and delivered it in 35 minutes. Cost: ¥18.

"I thought Didi was like Uber Eats plus Uber plus delivery plus everything. It's not. In China, every service has its own app. Didi drives people. Meituan delivers food. SF Express delivers packages. Using the wrong app doesn't just not work — it confuses everyone."

Anyone else tried to use the wrong app for a delivery?