Uber expands presence in Colombia, tries to woo Europe
Uber is in a constant flux, rolling out in some locations and coming to an end in others, sometimes returning, other times having no such luck. The ridesharing service was recently ordered to cease and desist in South Carolina, for example, and it'll be appearing in Portland, Oregon in the near future. Such is the trend we see in the company's most recent news, with Uber announcing that it has expanded its presence in Colombia and that it is trying to woo the consistently hostile European market.
On Friday, Uber announced that is has had 'secret Ubers' trawling around the city of Medellin, and that they'll become a permanent fixture on the city's streets. The company kicked off its official arrival at The Charlee Hotel, and it is offering those in the area free trial rides.
At the same time, the ridesharing service has been trying to break into Europe in a significant way, something that hasn't been largely possible with the continual backlash from the taxi industry and limitations posed by city regulations. It detailed its efforts yesterday.
Speaking in Munich at the DLD15 Conference, Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick talked about his company's presence in Europe, saying it "is committed to establishing new partnerships" with cities in the region, all the while dangling the prospect of increasing job numbers as bait. Said Kalanick, Uber could result in the creation of 50,000 new jobs while taking 400k vehicles off the road, reducing emissions and boosting the economy.