Uber is keen to get back on the road in Abu Dhabi, but says pricing regulations need to change first. Pawan Singh / The National
Uber is keen to get back on the road in Abu Dhabi, but says pricing regulations need to change first. Pawan Singh / The National
Uber is keen to get back on the road in Abu Dhabi, but says pricing regulations need to change first. Pawan Singh / The National
Uber is keen to get back on the road in Abu Dhabi, but says pricing regulations need to change first. Pawan Singh / The National

Uber will not return to Abu Dhabi until 'prohibitive' regulations on pricing are revised


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Uber will not get back on the road in Abu Dhabi until the 'prohibitive" cost of operating in the UAE capital is overhauled, the ride hailing company has revealed.

Uber suspended its services in the capital in August 2016, saying the move was only temporary at the time.

But it has still not resumed its operations nearly two years on - and says a return isn't on the agenda unless it is able to reduce fare charges for customers.

Local rival Careem, which halted operations at the same time, has since returned to the market, and launched a new, cheaper “economy car” service last month in the capital. Careem’s economy service is available for hire for a minimum charge of Dh19 – compared to the base charge of Dh12 for a standard taxi.

In the press conference to announce the launch of Careem’s cheaper cars, Mohammed Al Qamzi, general manager of Integrated Transport Centre, confirmed that it was also in talks with Uber over a return to the emirate.

Uber’s Middle East chief says the company is "very keen" to get back on the road in Abu Dhabi, but insists it is difficult to run an affordable service in the city.

“We have been in conversations ever since we paused our operations over there. The reality is that we are very keen in launching Abu Dhabi again. It is a very interesting market,” said Anthony El Khoury, Uber’s general manager for the Middle East region.

“We were there and we know for a fact that there is a lot of potential. The reality is that we still feel that the current regulation, specifically on pricing, makes it a bit difficult for us to have an affordable and convenient service in Abu Dhabi.”

He said current regulations dictate that ride sharing or limo-style companies like Uber must charge 30 per cent more than standard taxis. And this makes it difficult for the company to run an affordable and convenient service, he added.

Mr El Khoury said Uber will continue to talk to the government about its return but it is difficult to say if and when it will ever resume operations in Abu Dhabi.

“What I can tell you is we have a philosophy of affordable transportation for everyone. Today’s regulation is prohibitive,” he said.

“This is why we are going to continue the discussions. Now depending on how the discussions go we might enter the market, but we really want to stand hard on this philosophy,” added Mr El Khoury.

_______________

Read more:

Uber and Careem to increase prices in the UAE

Careem gets regulatory approval for cheaper services in Abu Dhabi

Careem blazes a trail for Middle East tech start-ups

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Business is doing well in Dubai, which is one of the company’s largest markets in the region, he said.

“You have a lot of tourists coming in, a lot of people who know Uber and who use Uber,” said Mr El Khoury.

The company has expanded its services in Dubai, launching UberX, which is 30 per cent cheaper than its standard cars.

“UberX is a product that a lot of discussion with the RTA of Dubai. We have seen an amazing success there. This is what we want to push towards,” added Mr El Khoury.

The Department of Transport has been contacted for a comment.

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MATCH INFO

Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')

Sevilla 0

Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

MATCH INFO

Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')

Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')

Meydan race card

6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m​​​​​​​
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m​​​​​​​
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m​​​​​​​
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

GRAN%20TURISMO
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’

Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')

Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')

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