Volunteer drivers rally to offer help in Wuhan

With all car-hailing platforms halted in Wuhan, technicians from Didi Chuxing spent about 30 hours developing a program to allow more than 8,600 medical workers from 16 hospitals to use the company's app to access dedicated transportation services, Zeng said. "We want to make our contribution to the battle against the epidemic," he added.

He Mingrong, 49, from Korla, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is one of the few women drivers in a team of volunteers providing free rides for medical workers.

After her son started studies at Wuhan University of Engineering Science in 2018, He moved to Wuhan and became a full-time driver with Didi Chuxing in February last year.

She said she loves the city, which is full of vitality, and particularly likes driving a car and enjoying the views. "But suddenly, the city came to a standstill and everything changed because of the outbreak."

Her son returned to their hometown at the start of the winter vacation in mid-January. The mother had also planned to go back to Korla before Spring Festival, but as Wuhan was locked down before she could leave, she stayed.

She joined the Didi Chuxing volunteer team on Jan 23, which gave her the chance to chat to medics working on the front-line.

To avoid becoming a mobile source of infection, He wears protective clothing when she works and also sprays disinfectant in the car after every trip.

"I am moved every day by the doctors and nurses using my car," she said. "They always express their gratitude to me for the service I provide at such a difficult time, but I think that they are the ones we should say 'thank you' to. They are the true heroes."

She said that a middle-aged doctor from Wuhan Tongji Hospital who used her service a week ago had made a great impression on her. "The doctor told me that when soldiers fight on a battlefield the enemy is visible. But in an epidemic, an invisible virus rages, so doctors and nurses are naturally the fighters," she said.

She added that the doctor's comments had made her more confident that the virus would be defeated and had also encouraged her to work as a volunteer until the fight has been won. "I serve the medics who fight the virus. I feel my work is meaningful," she said.

One nurse in her 20s, who cried in He's car, said she had worked round-the-clock and just wanted to have a good rest and a big dinner.

"I comforted her and jokingly asked why she didn't give up the job if she felt so tired. But she just shook her head and said that patients need her," He said, adding that the nurse left her some face masks and reminded her to protect herself.

In view of the severe shortage of protective materials, the masks were "the most precious gifts" she had received, He said, adding, "Sometimes, I feel the relationship between myself and the medics using my car is far beyond that between a driver and a passenger."

She refers to the other volunteer drivers on her team as "brothers", and Feng Xiaobo from Xiaogan, Hubei, is one of them.

Feng, who also works as a full-time driver for Didi Chuxing in Wuhan, had returned to his hometown about 80 km from the city for a family reunion before the city was locked down. But when he heard that the company was organizing teams of volunteer drivers, he returned.

"Wuhan is sick now. Everybody living here should help it recover," Feng said.

He added that he had driven a young nurse working at Wuhan Union Hospital, where critically ill patients are treated.

"I asked her whether she was afraid of becoming infected by the virus, and she said she was and that some of her colleagues had been infected. However, she said she could not abandon her work," Feng said.

Thousands of people from across the country have joined in helping Wuhan fight the epidemic.

"When people from other areas come to help us, how can I just sit idle at home? Didi Chuxing offered me an opportunity to contribute to the fight against the epidemic," Feng said.

He believes the battle against the virus can be won soon, in view of the mass support and resources that have been provided.

Wang, from Deyang, and He, from Korla, agreed with Feng. Wang said she will return home to see her mother immediately after life in Wuhan returns to normal.

When the epidemic is under control, He said the first thing she wants to do is to throw away all face masks and say "hello" to everyone she meets.