Man detained after attempting to evade payment for 1,400-km hitchhiking trip

A man has been placed under administrative detention after attempting to evade payment for a hitchhiking trip from Beijing to Hunan province, covering a distance of over 1,400 kilometers, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Saturday.

In May, a resident of Beijing surnamed Liu planned a trip to Cili county in Hunan province and offered a ride on the carpooling platform Hello. A man surnamed Cai responded to the offer and booked the trip.

The agreed fare for the journey from Beijing's Daxing district to Cili county was 2,200 yuan ($317). However, upon arrival at the destination, Cai noticed that Liu had forgotten to confirm his boarding on the platform. Seizing the opportunity, Cai secretly canceled the order and disappeared without paying, even going so far as to blacklist Liu on the platform.

With no other options, Liu reported the incident to local police. The authorities contacted Cai and requested that he pay the agreed fare of 2,200 yuan. Although Cai initially agreed, he later ceased communication and refused to cooperate.

Cai's suspicious behavior led the police to intensify their investigation. Cai eventually admitted to intentionally evading payment after completing the trip with Liu from Beijing to Cili.

Liu has since recovered his lost fare, and Cai has been administratively detained by Cili police.

In response to the incident, the Hello platform expressed gratitude to the local police and stressed the importance of conducting transactions through the platform to ensure the safety of both parties. The company also pledged to enhance its technological measures to detect and prevent fraudulent activities in the future.