Uber Technology Inc. is planning
to launch its boat business in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and biggest
city, to beat traffic congestion.
The ride-hailing service company
is in talks with the Lagos state government and regulatory authorities to start
Uber Boats services on its waterways, Uber’s Chief Business Officer Brooks
Entwistle said Thursday in an interview.
“We know the traffic is a
priority and we think we can help there,” Entwistle said. “We are having
fruitful good discussions with the regulators right now, it is what we are doing
this week, we are meeting with partners.” The executive did not give a timeline
on when the service will begin.
Lagos, the sub-Saharan Africa
biggest city with an estimated population of 22 million, is known for its
traffic congestion leaving commuters spending hours in their cars. Public
transport services are scarce and unreliable. Its vast waterways provide good
transport options but they are hardly used.
Uber, which faces competition
from Estonian-ride hailing firm Bolt, said it would seek partnership with local
players for the service.
“Our strategy is in every country
we going into we want to find local partners to help us with our business,”
Entwistle said. “Partnership is core to our business.”
San Francisco-based Uber launched
a boat service in Egypt in 2017, with taxis zipping up the Nile River that
dissects Cairo to bypass clogged streets. The company has expanded the service
to cities including Mumbai and along the Croatian coast.
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