By Mike Ssegawa
Global transportation tech company Uber has announced a ground breaking marketing campaign in Uganda in the next couple of weeks.
Ms Janet Kemboi, the Head of Communication East Africa told the media in Kampala on Thursday that Uber has witnessed tremendous growth in Uganda and it was going to roll out a significant marketing drive to enroll more drivers and riders in Kampala and Entebbe.
Uber which also has already enlisted more than 1000 drivers in the two Ugandan cities is the fastest growing tech company in the world, threatening to change the manner people move from one place to another.
The app which is downloaded on the smartphone, enables one to connect with nearest driver who turns up in less than 10 minutes to drive the customer to their desired destination.
The app connecting the screened drivers to the passengers is shaping the way people travel in various cities around the around.
Started in 2009 by two American technologists Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, Uber is now expanding into food delivery business by partnering with restaurants and orders made on Uber app.
Ms Kemboi told reporters at Kampala Serena Hotel that Uber was committed to changing how humans move from one place to another and they were already experimenting with a self-driving car.
In Africa, Uber first came to South Africa before going to Nigeria and Kenya. Uganda is one of the pioneer countries Uber has put its food on the continent and already registering considerable success.
Ms Kemboi said about 48,000 people use Uber each day in Uganda and touted the app to be one of the solutions to Kampala’s endemic traffic congestion and parking spaces.
She said sharing vehicles reduces a number of vehicles on the roads as well as pollution which damages the environment.
With heightened marketing in Uganda, Uber is billed to solve unemployment and improve safety on the roads especially on weekend nights which tempt drivers to hit the road under the influence of alcohol or when fatigued, leading them to make mistakes on the road.
Green Light Operations manager Junior Africa said the company does a background check on drivers to help them understand the drivers better which improves customer service.
“We are into transforming cities into beautiful places,” Ms Kemboi announced, adding that Kampala has registered increased use of Uber services in the last six months. She emphasized however that Uber drivers are not employees of Uber but independent contractors.
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