Volunteer drivers rally to offer help in Wuhan

Healthcare staff provided with free transportation

When the authorities in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and epicenter of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, announced a lockdown of the city on Jan 23, thousands of outsiders decided to leave.

However, Wang Li, a woman from Deyang, Sichuan province, chose to remain.

The 29-year-old became one of the volunteers braving the risk of infection to offer free rides to medical workers after public transportation in the city was suspended.

Wang, a driver for car-hailing platform Didi Chuxing, had planned to go to her hometown during Spring Festival to visit her mother.

However, when she heard the city was to be locked down and public transportation suspended, she realized that "something big" had happened, so she decided to stay.

On Jan 23, she learned that Didi Chuxing was recruiting volunteers to provide free transportation for medical workers and residential communities in the city. Wang immediately offered her services.