After Dispute with Driver, Woman Jumps from Hired Van, Dies

Huolala, a van and truck-hailing app, has come under fire after a 23-year-old woman in Changsha, Hunan Province jumped from the van she hailed and died in hospital. Police said the victim, Che Shasha, hailed a van on February 6 to move to a new apartment. When the driver, surnamed Zhou, deviated from the pre-chosen route twice during the trip and refused to go back, Che exited the vehicle in motion. Zhou told police he was taking a shortcut to save time because Che had taken too long to load the van and that he had already accepted another fare. However, Che had no dashcam or audio proof to corroborate his story. As police did not find any skid marks at the spot where Che jumped, some netizens suggested that Zhou may have had ill-intentions. Zhou has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, and Huolala, under pressure on social media, has pledged to equip every van and truck on their platform with audio recorders.