The taxi competitor Uber extends its offer to the Ruhr area. The app will soon offer the service in five cities - and usually cheaper than a taxi.
- The Uber driving service app wants to take off in several cities in the Ruhr area.
- Uber is tough competition for taxi entrepreneurs.
- Uber has already gained a foothold in the Rhineland.
Duisburg / Ruhr area - The taxi service provider Uber, feared by taxi drivers, continues to spread in Germany and is now also coming to the Ruhr area . After the conquest of the Rhineland, the US company now wants to roll up the taxi market in the Ruhr area , as RUHR24 * reports. Uber will also be available in the Ruhr area from Wednesday (February 5).
Uber is now available in five cities in the Ruhr area
So far, Uber has been offering its services in NRW in Cologne and Düsseldorf. The regional expansion to Duisburg is now to take place from Düsseldorf. "We are building on Düsseldorf, where Uber is already available," Uber spokesman Oliver Klug told RUHR24. Throughout Germany, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg are represented at Uber .
Uber now wants to conquer five cities in the Ruhr area . "Starting from the Duisburg region, that is Duisburg and its wider area, the service is now available via the app in Duisburg, Oberhausen, Mülheim, Moers and the southern Wesel," said Klug. At least the cities now appear for a booking in the driver service app . Because initially Klug expects a lower availability of drivers. "It is always a process, it will gradually increase," Klug is certain.
Uber: Great demand in the Ruhr area
For other cities in the Ruhr area , such as Dortmund or Bochum , Uber has not yet had any expansion plans - although the service provider is also aware of the close networking in the Ruhr area . After all, the app should also offer an "alternative to commuting in your own car", says Klug. How long it will take to expand to the rest of the Ruhr area seems to be more a question of time - and demand.
Uber Germany chief Christoph Weigler explains that it was time to expand the service in the Duisburg region based on the high demand: "In 2019, around 100,000 people in the Duisburg region tried to order a trip using the Uber app ." Around 100,000 potential customers who can now finally use the app . However, the offer also depends on how many drivers could be won for the service.
Uber: Offers of the Fahrdienst app in the Ruhr area
The app not only offers driving services where private drivers shuffle their customers around in their own vehicles, regular taxi rides are also offered via the app .
To use the service, all you have to do is download the corresponding app to your smartphone. According to Uber.com , the location of the person who wants to book the shuttle service is transmitted directly to an Uber driver - who then picks the customer up and takes them to their destination. The app also directly suggests the best route to get to your destination. Unnecessary and expensive detours should be spared for the passengers. In addition, the price of the trip is agreed before the start of the trip.
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Uber: These services can be booked in the Ruhr area
- UberX : The cheapest option that offers a ride with private but licensed drivers with a passenger transport ticket.
- UberTAXI : With this option, you can book a taxi at the regular taxi tariff via the app.
The UberGreen option can also be booked. All cars in which the driving services are offered are operated exclusively with electricity. If you want it more stylish, you can explicitly rent chauffeurs with luxury vehicles. The option is then called UberBlack . So far, the luxury class in Germany can initially only be booked in Munich.
Uber: Taxi companies fear cheap car service
Although Uber now also arranges classic taxi rides, taxi entrepreneurs still see Uber as an unpopular competitor. This is mainly due to the cheaper prices that Uber can offer compared to regular taxis. As the WAZ reports, depending on the traffic situation, trips can be around a quarter or more cheaper than with a normal taxi . The denser the traffic, the greater the savings. The reason for this is the not calculated downtime in the Uber .
We have been arranging trips in Düsseldorf since 2018 - and now we are expanding our service to the Ruhr area. Because from today you can easily order a ride with the Uber app in #Duisburg and the surrounding area.
- Uber Germany (@Uber_Ger) February 5, 2020It was only in December that Taxi Deutschland obtained an injunction against Uber, which subsequently had to change its mediation model. Uber Germany chief Weigler on the expansion in the Ruhr area : The taxi industry is not trying to take trips, but on the contrary is creating additional demand.
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* RUHR24.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
