Uber wants to relaunch talks with Abu Dhabi’s regulatory body for hire cars to help to bring the app back to residents in the capital, according to a company executive.
Christopher Free, the general manager at Uber UAE, said the company’s current focus was on its recently launched uberX pilot project in Dubai, but Abu Dhabi was on its agenda. Launching in Dubai in April, uberX offers a more affordable option for everyday users.
"Once we get a bit more clarity on what works with uberX, we need to spend more time in Abu Dhabi – on the ground working with Trans AD – to help bring solutions forward," he told The National.
It has been almost a year since TransAD, now known as the Integrated Transport Centre, stopped Uber and fellow ride-hailing app Careem from operating in the emirate after prices directly competed with or, in some instances, undercut standard taxis. TransAD at the time said they violated regulations that stipulated pricing must be on par with more expensive limousine rates.
Careem re-entered the market two months after its closure last August but with limited services. Users were required to book cars at least 90 minutes in advance using a new pricing structure that started at Dh40. And, in February, the Dubai-based company came back to the capital in full force with instant, on-demand booking.
A Careem spokeswoman said on-demand was the bread and butter for the ride-hailing app’s customers. “Since we’ve come back, our numbers have dramatically increased,” she said.
The company aims to increase trips by 30 per cent each month and by reinstating instant bookings, Careem has reached its target. Abu Dhabi standard taxi rates increased last month, which means the pricing gap has tightened between the two services.
Careem said it does not plan to increase its rates in Abu Dhabi. In addition, the company has expanded its offerings in the emirate by launching this week the option for customers to pay in cash when typically the service works based on a cashless transfer via credit or debit cards.
It also introduced this month a bundle option that allows frequent users in Abu Dhabi to purchase KM Packages. This service provides discounted rates of up to 20 per cent when pre-paying for 50 to 300 kilometres. An in-app calculator has been created which prompts customers to enter regular routes as well as frequency to generate a recommended bundle.
“It’s a new way of buying credit with us,” said the spokeswoman, adding that there were no peak or airport surcharges with the bundles. “We did it for various reasons to help customers budget if they aren’t getting a car and want to know how much they’re spending.”
lgraves@thenational.ae
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The years Ramadan fell in May
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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