Ride-hailing companies in China are ending their low-price strategy. What does that mean for the market? 

Prices are rising among ride-hailing apps in China. That's in contradiction to the early low price strategy adopted by most ride-hailing companies. 

Is that a recipe for a drop in revenues for those companies? 

"The prices before could barely cover the cost of services at all. But we had to educate the market about the new service first," said Ling Kang, executive director, Didi Chuxing. 

For an e-commerce platform, the strategy is to keep a balance between consumers and service providers, such as drivers, to maintain long-term business.

The early low-price strategy aimed at boosting the market penetration for ride-hailing services. Now, Chinese consumers have adopted such a lifestyle, they are less sensitive to prices. 

"Now, companies are shifting from prices to services, which means companies are using their services to attract consumers, rather than low prices. We expect more niche services for different customers," said Zhang Xu, senior analyst, Mobile Transport Research Center.