The ride sharing service provider Uber has celebrated its one year anniversary in Dhaka.
Uber said they have received a great response from the city-dwellers in the past one year, during a press conference held in celebration to mark their one year of success on Sunday.
“Ride sharing by Uber apps is easier, safer and more comfortable. That is why people opt for the option,” said Arpit Mundra, general manager of Uber Kolkata and Dhaka.
“Uber has received 1.5 million requests from riders in Dhaka in the month of November this year, while around 9,500 drivers made trips around the city,” he added.
However, Uber’s journey was not smooth from the start; they had to overcome a lot of obstacles after the inauguration on November 30, 2016. The company even received a notice from BRTA which said Uber was “illegal” because private cars are not allowed to be used commercially as per law.
Now, the government is “very positive” regarding the ride sharing service in Bangladesh. The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has already drafted a guideline in this regard.
The pilot initiative by Uber in Dhaka has also encouraged nearly a dozen of companies to move forward.
Uber officials said: “We have a legal identity in Bangladesh and the ride sharing guideline will help us improve the service even further.”
“More than 10,000 drivers join Uber as partners every month – with an average of 100 drivers joining every day. Uber is committed to enabling micro-entrepreneurship opportunities in Dhaka,” Arpit further added.
According to a report by Uber: “A private car remains unutilized for 96% of the time. In an average, the occupancy rate is around 1.14 people per car – while one shared car can replace 9 to 13 owned vehicles.”
“Dhaka has only 7% of road infrastructure – while a city should at least have 20%. Besides, parking takes up close to 20% of the urban land. So, one car can be used by more people and not just by two,” the report says.
Pradeep Parameswaran, head of Central Operation at Uber India and South Asia, said: “Dhaka presented us with a challenge of transforming the transportation landscape and creating alternatives to a city burdened with a growing population of cars on its roads.
“With smartphones, technology that is already in our pockets, and utilizing the existing resources we can pave way for a Dhaka that moves with the lives of its people.”
He added: “We’d like to thank the government of Bangladesh, our business partners, riders and driver partners for their continued support and love in making this vision a reality in Dhaka.”
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