Tag: Uber

Uber, Mastercard boost payment digitalization and financial inclusion across MEA

Frank

MEA – Mastercard, an American multinational financial services corporation and Uber, a technology company have partnered to implement a new strategic initiative that will focus on digital payments and advancing financial inclusion in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), reaffirming their long-term partnership. By partnering, Uber will be able to drive digitisation across its business operations by leveraging Mastercard’s single infrastructure to meet all types of payment needs across Uber Rides, Uber Eats, Uber Pass, and Uber for Business. Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President Market Development, Mastercard, MEA explains that…

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Uber rolls out new call-back feature in Egypt to enhance user safety

Frank

EGYPT – Uber Egypt has unveiled new safety feature in its application allowing clients to call and speak to specialized Incident Response Team after the trip. According to Uber, the new feature will provider Uber platform users with a channel to report any safety-related incident during their rides. Users desiring to use the call back feature will be required to request to be called back. The request should be submitted along with the users contact details and a short description of the safety event. Uber explains that once the request…

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SWVL appoints ex-Uber boss Dip Patel to head Kenyan operations

Frank

KENYA – SWVL, a bus transportation network company, has appointed former Uber Kenya Country Manager Dip Patel to lead its local operations, tapping into his experience in the segment. Dip takes over ranks from Sivachi Muleji who resigned from the role at the end of January having served on the top seat since May 2019. Mr Patel joins the company at a time it is locked in licensing row with the transport regulation in a spat that has threated to derail SWVL Kenya operations. The firm says it will tap…

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Uber courts taxi owners in new push to increase driver numbers

Frank

EGYPT – Uber Egypt has revealed that it was seeking to incorporate existing taxi cabs into its ride-hailing services having successfully done so in other markets. Uber said in a statement that taxis were“an integral part” of Egypt’s transportation system, and that  its plan to enlist taxi drivers into the platform is part of its aims to meet the different needs of the Egyptian market. Uber plans have however met resistance from The White Taxi Drivers and Owners Association, Egypt’s biggest grouping of taxi drivers, which has pronounced itself on…

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Uber partners with Nissan to introduce all-electric cabs in UK

Frank

UNITED KINGDOM –  Uber, the world’s largest ride hailing app, has entered into an agreement with Nissan to introduce a fleet of 2,000 Leaf hatchbacks for its drivers. The ride hailing giant said in a statement that the decision was part of a broader push from the company to tackle air pollution by ensuring all of its vehicles in London are all-electric by 2025. The CNBC report quoted Uber as saying that it would offer drivers in the UK electric cars from Nissan at a discount, even as it faced…

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Uber drivers to start setting their own fares as firm seeks to comply with state laws

Frank

GLOBAL – Uber has commenced a trial run for a new initiative to give drivers the ability to set their own fares and make them independent operators rather than employees. Already select drivers are currently experimenting with the scheme in some cities in the United States, with the ultimate aim being granting them (drivers) more autonomy. The Wall Street Journal reported that Uber drivers in Palm Springs, Sacramento, and Santa Barbara in California had been given the ability to determine their own fares. The journal reported that the move was…

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Ridesharing company Uber splashes out billions in deal to acquire rival Careem

Frank

MIDDLE EAST– US-based ridesharing company Uber has completed the acquisition of its Emirati rival Careem in a US$3.1 billion deal. Uber announced in a press release. With this deal, Uber will start operating in over 100 cities in the Middle-East and North Africa region, including Moroccan cities. The company, however, decided to preserve Careem’s brand. Careem’s co-founder and CEO, Mudassir Sheikha, will remain at the head of the company, but the administration board will include three representatives from Uber and two representatives from Careem. The deal allows Uber to penetrate…

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Uber appoints Lorraine Onduru as the New Senior Communications Associate East Africa

Frank

KENYA – Uber, a ride sharing company, has announced the appointment of Lorraine Onduru as its new Senior Communications Associate for East Africa. In her new role, Lorraine will oversee all media engagement and communications for Uber and Uber Eats across East Africa which includes Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. With over eight years of global experience in communications and storytelling, Lorraine is a more than qualified professional in the media industry. Speaking on Lorraine’s appointment, Samantha Fuller, Head of Communications for Uber in Sub-Saharan Africa said: “We are thrilled to…

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North Africa’s Taxi App Yassir expands into Morocco with the launch of night taxi rides in Casablanca

Frank

MOROCCO – Algerian based ride hailing app Yassir has in October this year expanded its operations into Morocco with the launch of night taxi services in the country’s largest city, Casablanca. The taxi hailing mobile app service is coming into Morocco to replace the vacuum left by Uber which suspended its operations in the Maghreb country in February 2018 after taxi drivers went on strike claiming unfair competition from Uber. Although the application works in the same ways as the ridesharing service Uber, it employs a different engage formula with…

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Uber expands into water transport with the newly launched UberBOAT service

Frank

NIGERIA – Popular ride-hailing firm, Uber has in October this year launched UberBOAT in Lagos as a pilot scheme to determine the viability of water transport in Nigeria. The UberBoat pilot scheme will operate between the Five Cowries Terminal, Ikoyi and Ikorodu Jetties, the ride-hailing firm has said. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a special guest at the launch, was among the first people to take a ride on the newly unveiled UberBOAT. The launch was held within the Lagos State Waterways Authority complex at the Five Cowries Jetty Falomo.…

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