China's Ride Sharing App Is Coming To America With Mandarin-Speaking Drivers

Beijing-based Yongche is China's biggest ride sharing app, and soon it will join Uber and Lyft as an option for wheels in San Francisco and New York City, Bloomberg reports.

The app's main seems to be for tourists and visitors, which isn't too different from Uber or Lyft. But unlike its American counterparts, Yongche will provide Mandarin-speaking drivers.

"Most Chinese don't speak English and find it difficult to communicate with foreign drivers after they land in another country," CEO and founder Herman Zhou told Bloomberg. The publication reported the app works in 57 cities across China and Hong Kong, and Zhou estimates his company will be as valuable as the $17 billion Uber in just a couple of years.

Yongche certainly picked the right American cities to launch in. New York City has the largest ethnically Chinese population outside of China in the world, according to the New York Times. Similarly, San Francisco is known for its particularly vibrant and large Chinese neighborhood. It's also the birthplace of both Uber and Lyft.