After much speculation about which South African city would be next, Uber, the international smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers, has announced that it will start testing its technology in Port Elizabeth on Thursday 10 December 2015.
Alon Lits General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, says: “After month’s of speculation, we are so excited to be launching in Port Elizabeth with our uberX product. This new service means that you can now enjoy a seamless, efficient ride at an extremely affordable price. The introduction of our service will change the way residents of PE go about their daily lives.”
Port Elizabeth is the 362nd city worldwide and 9th city in Africa to launch after Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi and Casablanca. Port Elizabeth was chosen as the next city for Uber to launch due to its population size (1.1 million) and because there have been over 10 000 sign-ups to the platform already.
Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism CEO, Ms Mandlakazi Skefile shares, “We are so excited to welcome Uber to Nelson Mandela Bay, who will provide convenient transport solutions to both locals and visitors. Not only will the service make the destination more attractive and accessible to visitors but has the potential to increase employment opportunities adding to economic growth for our destination.”
For those who don’t know, Uber moves millions of global citizens around every day offering affordable and reliable rides at the touch of a button. “We are evolving the way the world moves by seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our smartphone technology,” says Lits “By connecting riders and drivers with an affordable, reliable and seamless ride, and with accountability and transparency built into our system, we have transformed the way people think about their transportation across the world.”
For riders, Uber connects riders with reliable and safe transportation at the touch of a button, wherever and whenever they choose. The seamless experience means never having to worry about finding a ride or having cash.
For drivers, Uber’s lead generation software facilitates powerful entrepreneurship opportunities. Drivers chances for profit are increased – and with greater flexibility – than any other option available to them. Every month, Uber empowers 50,000+ global entrepreneurs on the Uber platform. Since launching in August 2013 Uber has enabled over 4000 work opportunities across South Africa and could easily enable another 15 000 in the next two years.
Uber’s rider and driver-partners benefit from the following safety measures, designed to improve reliability and journeys:
- Driver Information: Uber riders can see their driver’s photo, name, vehicle and registration as well as the drivers star rating when booking – providing riders with all the information they need to ensure a safe and secure ride before even stepping into the car.
- Live GPS-enabled Map: Uber riders also have access to a live GPS-enabled map throughout their journey and can share this with family, partners or friends, who can then track their swift, secure and safe travel to their destination.
- Rider Feedback: Riders can rate their drivers at the end of each journey. Uber’s 5 star rating system means Uber riders can give honest (and anonymous) feedback about the driver taking them to their destination. Drivers who don’t consistently keep customers happy and get good ratings from passengers, are suspended from the Uber service. Uber’s rating system means the rider drives the service levels and can give real-time feedback on their trips.
- Driver Safety: Uber is a completely cashless system protecting both riders and drivers. Drivers don’t carry cash; all payments are cashless, electronic and traceable. A rider’s fare is charged automatically and electronically onto their credit or debit card after their trip.
- Driver Background Checks: Driver-partners are licensed to drive professionally, and have a valid PrDP, which means that the driver has undergone police clearance in order to obtain this permit. In addition the driver-partners also undergo a secondary background screening that leads the industry. The vehicles used by driver-partners have a roadworthy certificate from DEKRA and all driver-partners must carry comprehensive commercial and passenger liability insurance issued by reputable, licensed insurance companies. Passengers can also claim from the RAF.
To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, Windows Phone.
Get a R150.00 voucher compliments of MyPE by following this link: https://get.uber.com/go/mype – use the promo code MyPE
Festive Season Promotional Pricing: Base Fare R4.25 + R6.00 per kilometer + R0.60 per minute, Cancellation: R25.00, Minimum Fare: R17.00 (eg. Stanley Street, Central to St Georges Park will cost R17.00)
Riders can expect uberX; 4 door sedans, Toyota Corolla’s or similar. Operators have to pass stringent entrance criteria, are paid weekly and contribute 20 – 25% of their turnover to Uber to cover marketing and support.
In Port Elizabeth Blunden Shuttles are one of the biggest tramnsport businesses to have signed up as Uber operators and my first trip as the first official Uber passenger in Port Elizabeth was a pleasant experience with Mach-all Harris, Blunden Operations Manager, transporting me to the Radisson Blu in a Vito in style.
My trip back home was with a very pleasant Jonathan Jasson; “Sterkte in the ‘Hage buddy!”
@MyPE was a Good first day on Uber with Blunden Tours & Travel.
— Jonathan Jasson (@JonoJ9) December 8, 2015
Alan Straton
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