Uber will start minibus service in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation and the company's fastest-growing regional market, a day after its Middle East rival Careem announced plans for a bus-booking app in Cairo.
Uber Bus services will first roll out in Cairo, a city of more than 22 million people, as the San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant seeks to expand its presence in the country with "low-cost" transport services, Uber said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Egypt and the Middle East region are hugely important to Uber and we will continue to heavily invest in this part of the world," Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement on Tuesday, following a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian investment minister Sahar Nasr.
Microbuses are a popular mode of transport in Cairo, offering an affordable option for millions of commuters on a daily basis, in the nation of more than 100 million where public transport barely keeps up with demand. Uber and Careem have faced a law suit filed by Egypt's taxi drivers who accused them of violating the country's traffic laws by using private vehicles for commercial purposes. Egypt's parliament in May approved a law regulating the licensing and operations of ride-hailing companies in the country.
Uber and Careem's announcements of their bus services in Egypt highlights the ride-hailing companies intensifying rivalry in the Middle East where they compete across many major cities.
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Uber, which has been exploring the prospects of a tie-up with Dubai-based Careem, is leaning towards an acquisition rather than a merger of the company to widen its presence in the Middle East, sources told The National in September.
The US company last month reported a third-quarter loss of $1.07 billion and a slowdown in revenues ahead of a planned initial public offering next year.
Uber Bus, a service built specifically for Egypt, will leverage Cairo's popular minibus network. Passengers can request a bus ride on the Uber app, which will find other passengers travelling in the same direction so that everyone can get to their destination with fewer stops and at more "affordable" rates, the company said. It has been testing Uber Bus since September.
Careem on Monday said its bus-booking app will "soon" also be available in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Uber also said it will offer Uber Lite, a new version of its ride-hailing app built to work in low connectivity, and with older Android devices, across the Middle East early next year.
It is aimed at making booking rides quicker and lighter in spotty connectivity, on basic Android phones, and for people with limited data plans, the company said. The product has already started testing in parts of the region with plans to roll out early next year.
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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
more from Janine di Giovanni
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
