Senior citizens found it more difficult to hail a taxi recently after two Internet companies, which are competing for market share in online payment platforms, offered subsidies to taxi drivers and customers who use their products.

      A senior from Shenyang, Liaoning province, was unable to summon a taxi on the street as drivers scrambled to pick up riders who used one of the taxi-hailing apps, Chinese Business Morning News reported on Friday.

Standing on a roadside, Li Shuwen, 75, waved at taxis to get a ride to see doctor for a sprained ankle. Four taxis passed her by even though there were no riders in the cars.

A fifth driver also refused her and drove off as another customer's appointment came through the app.

Li, who had no smartphone, had to take a bus to the hospital.

China's two leading Internet companies, Alibaba Group and Tencent, launched a price war recently to woo customers to their online payment platforms. They gave bonuses for appointments.