By Onome Amawehe

The Uber App is a software application service, and also a technology company that connects riders with drivers through a smartphone app. Uber’s mission is to help people get a ride at the push of a button – everywhere and for everyone.

Uber was started in 2009 to solve a simple problem – how do you get a ride at the touch of a button? Six years and over a billion trips later, it has started tackling an even greater challenge: reducing congestion and pollution in the cities by getting more people into fewer cars.

Alon Lits, General Manager,
Sub-Saharan Africa,
Uber

This revolutionary service provides people seeking convenient transportation with a new option, and makes it easier for urban dwellers to enjoy mobility – even without owning a car.

Alon Lits has always had a passion for cities, transportation and technologies. He believes Uber represents the most important innovation in public transportation – an area in which it’s having a substantial economic and environmental impact. In this interview, he answers questions about the future of urban mobility and the car sharing market and Uber.

WITH many cities struggling with transportation, what’s the best way to redefine what mobility should be in the coming years?

Over the past six and a half years, we’ve learned a lot about the future of urban mobility— and what it means for cities and the people who live in them. We’ve gotten consistent feedback from cities we partner with. And that access to our aggregated data would inform decisions about how to adapt existing infrastructure and invest in future solutions to make our cities more efficient.

A few say that Uber’s disruption of the taxi industry has essentially been the disruption of a private industry— by another private industry. What’s your take on this?

Uber is a technology company and not a taxi nor a transportation company.

Uber does not employ any drivers nor own any vehicles. Uber is an open and non-exclusive application service, working with existing operators. Uber supplements the existing transportation networks and is an alternative way of getting around a city but this doesn’t mean that you can’t use a taxi, a bike or the metro for some journeys. We do not feel that it should be about Uber or Taxi but rather Uber and Taxi.

Just as your kind of transport service is unique to the continent, what have you learned about the African market?

There is no doubt that Africa is one of our most exciting markets. We have learned that Africa is a melting pot of rapid infrastructural development, rich cultural diversity and burgeoning entrepreneurship. Since launching in Africa the reception has been phenomenal and Uber has positively impacted the lives of driver partners tremendously.

What benefits do your driver partners enjoy and which they don’t get from running the traditional cab system?

Drivers choose to use the Uber app for the flexibility and control they have. They choose when they drive, for how long, and can dictate their own schedule, day-to-day, week-to-week. Some of the benefits enjoyed by Uber driver partners are that Uber is committed to up skilling drivers with the skills they need to run their own businesses. Uber helps driver partners to grow their business and makes it easy for drivers to connect to riders looking for affordable and safe transport.

Have you experienced some kind of resistance in this market with regulators or incumbent taxi businesses? I mean… one expects that somebody somewhere is kind of angry about you.

Our technology is open and pro-choice and we are keen to offer it to a broad number of taxi drivers to boost their occupancy rates and chances for profit. In fact many metered taxi drivers are already using our technology to boost their incomes and we would welcome more who wish to join their colleagues.

How do you measure quality of your client service, I’ve seen a couple of Nigerian customers complaining about the inefficiency of the Uber app?

We’re always thinking about ways we can improve the rider and driver experience. One of the ways is by partnering with local telecoms to find a seamless way to connect riders and drivers. The app also includes giving riders’ information about their driver; tracking all trips using GPS from beginning to end; enabling riders to share their ETA or route; and incorporating feedback from riders and drivers.

Our app encourages traceability and transparency which has never been possible before Uber. Customer feedback is a critical piece to our quality control system. We love hearing from our riders and drivers. We aim to develop mutual respect.

With the feedback feature riders are able to rate their driver and give feedback on the trip, driver etiquette, incorrect fare, cleanliness of the vehicle and anything in general that they might want to report back on. It is important to note that the Uber partner – driver can also rate rider to ensure that no rider disrespects the Uber – partner driver while on a trip.

Could the Uber model end car ownership?

Uber is affordable and reliable and challenges the need to own a car in the first place, and means fewer vehicles are being used far more efficiently. People across Africa appreciate how useful Uber is for weekend partying or getting to the airport. But an increasing number of people are now using Uber as their exclusive mode of transport. We see the future less about car ownership and more about car-sharing as smart cities look for smarter solutions to increase mobility while reducing pollution, infrastructure costs and environmental impacts.

In a recent interview, you did say that Uber is at a point where it has a strong sense of what it takes to build a successful business in Africa. How valid is this claim?

Uber is investing in the African market – we are not a virtual operation, we employ a local operations team and provide economic opportunities for partners in the local economy! Based on this, we have the local knowledge and are able to provide a product that fits. We are really excited about the opportunities in Africa, there is so much potential in this continent. The uptake since we launched has been amazing, riders and drivers love having another choice on how to move around their city.

What’s your ambition for Uber and where the business is now in Africa, compared to where you’d like it to be?

Uber’s ambition is to be everywhere – any progressive, forward-thinking city that has a need for safe, reliable and efficient transportation, we want to be there. We are part of a broader mobility movement, establishing smart cities of the future and we are constantly exploring our options of where to go next. We are really excited about the opportunities in Africa, there is so much potential in this continent.

The uptake since we launched has been amazing, riders and drivers love having another choice on how to move around their city. Across Africa, we have partnered with a significant number of drivers and provided them with the tools to build their own small businesses. We have enable thousands of work opportunities across Africa and believe we can enable thousands more in the coming years.

How many driver- partners do you currently have in Africa?

Around 60,000 drivers now use Uber across Africa – that’s the equivalent of enabling 54 small business opportunities every day since we started. We believe we can do more.

What is the figure like in Nigeria?

We’ve created over 1000 economic opportunities in Nigeria. Going forward we envision even more economic opportunities and working with partners like First Bank to ease the barriers to entry (car ownership) for driver-partners to become entrepreneurs – creating economic opportunities and a positive net contribution to the economy.

What are the challenges you find operating here?

There are always challenges when launching a new city – GPS & mapping, traffic congestion, ensuring there is enough supply to meet the demands – but we are working hard every day to ensure we can connect riders and drivers to a seamless experience. Uber is pro regulation but in order for this to work we need to work with regulators that support innovative technology ideas that fit consumer demands of the 21st century.

Why is Africa your latest expansion priority?

Africa is unique and is a rapidly developing continent with cities that are progressive and forward thinking that have a need for safe, reliable and efficient transportation. There is so much potential for Africa. Currently our main focus is on improving and expanding our core products in the cities we are operating in.