New rivals, rough rides, intimidating lawsuits, high-profile raids, and endless other hurdles haven’t stopped Uber from firing back during crises
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The Uber Spotlight
For Uber, it’s extraordinarily easy to be in the news. The company is always on the move. Being overwhelmed doesn’t exist in its dictionary. Not long ago, China’s largest ride-sharing company, Didi had the last laugh over them when they forced Uber to retreat from China. The hard-contested battle had both the companies spending billions of dollars before Uber decided to call it quits forcing it to sell its China operations to Didi.
Competitors
Although it’s no breeze dealing with a defeat, Uber has shown no signs of slowing down. New rivals, rough rides, intimidating lawsuits, high-profile raids, and endless other hurdles haven’t stopped Uber from firing back during crises. Recent news indicates that Uber hasn’t given up on the Asian market yet.
This time, Uber is up against another serious rival, ‘Grab’, which is Uber’s largest rival in the entire Southeast Asia. Both Uber and Grab are planning to expand their frontiers to Myanmar. Both companies have grown faster, smarter, and wiser by taking risks. So, a full-fledged war is definitely on the sleeves as they enter a new territory with millions of dollars to blow.
Government ‘Assistance’
Although the playing field is the same for both companies, they will still have to work hand-in-hand with the ruling government for smooth operations. It’s possible that these giant companies could change Myanmar’s taxi meter for good. In the prevailing scenario, a taxi ride in Myanmar involves heavy negotiation. Unless a person is prepared for a bout of verbal kung fu, one is sure to lose money in the bargaining process. The ride-hailing app could potentially put an end to the bargaining culture.
Staying Ahead of the Game
With big players entering the market of 50 million people with exploding Internet usage, public transportation in Myanmar might see a major overhaul. Grab made a debut on the Myanmar market in the month of March 2017. Not wanting to be left far behind, Uber entered Myanmar within two months of its chief rival’s debut.
Both are planning to use the same business model with the exception being that Uber will work only with licensed drivers. Surely, this move was intentionally planned by Uber to dodge legal hurdles down the road. As we all know, Uber services have been halted in several parts of the world for regulatory concerns. It seems that the unapologetic and aggressive San Francisco-based Uber wants none of that anymore. In addition to Grab, two more ride-hailing companies will be at Uber’s throat in the Myanmar market, Hello Cabs and Oway Ride.
One other issue is the ease of entry for competitors. It has been known for some time that the Uber for X technology allows any fledgling startup company to use Uber-like programming to launch their own taxi app in a very short time.
Mapping
In an effort to stay out front, Uber is also mapping Asian roads, kick-starting with the Singapore streets in an attempt to provide a seamless riding experience to users. Stepping up their mapping game will help them overcome some of the common problems such as drivers not taking direct routes and inaccurate locations pins. According to Uber, the ambitious mapping activity is bound to improve both driver and rider experiences by giving riders accurate ETAs and by helping drivers determine the fastest route to the destination.
Accurate mapping is the backbone of their business since some of the core elements of the business are tied up with mapping. Therefore, Uber is not shying away from doubling its investment on mapping. While existing maps are good, they are way from being picture perfect. By generating its own 3D maps of Singapore, Uber will not only be able to improve the existing ride-sharing experience but also lay the perfect groundwork for Uber’s self-driving car initiative. However, no word yet on how Uber plans to tackle flying taxi’s in 2030.
Google: Friend or Foe
To top it all, the mapping will also reduce its dependence on Google Maps. Both Google and Uber are battling over driverless vehicles. In fact, a parent company to Google, named Waymo has previously filed an epic lawsuit against Uber. So, they already share a pretty complicated relationship. Both have a big, deep, and ambitious interest in the self-driving car arena. After all, it could be a huge money-churner in the near future.
So, the Uber mapping project helps them hit two birds with one stone. In the long run, Uber’s mapping endeavor will also provide them a cut above the rest, in terms of efficiency, reliability, and navigation. Obviously, Google will always be a potential competitor in any arena, but Uber’s mapping strategy might be what keeps it above its competition, and Google as well.
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