Uber eyes Dhaka roads

Uber, a popular taxi-hailing mobile application, plans to roll out its operations in Bangladesh to provide affordable and flexible services to city-dwellers.

The US-based startup is now hiring staffers to run its Dhaka office.

The company has sought applications for positions such as general manager, marketing manager, operations and logistics manager and operations coordinator, according to its website.

However, when contacted via email, Ruchica Tomar, head of communications for Uber India, did not give any details.

The Uber app was launched in March 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. From its home in San Francisco, Uber has already expanded in 464 cities around the world, according to its website.

The company has also launched its services in 27 cities in India. Uber counts India as its third biggest market after the US and China.

Though Uber does not own any cars and just acts like a middleman between customers and cab drivers, it has made the task of booking a cab easier.

Once a person signs up for Uber's free app and enters relevant credit card information, he/she can call a car by opening the app and giving information about their location. The system says how long the driver will take to arrive.

Uber is spending aggressively to expand throughout Asia, particularly in China, where the company expects to spend $1 billion, according to a June 2015 letter to investors from Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick.

In recent years, a number of car services were launched in Dhaka. One of them is chalox.com, which began its operations in May last year.

Chalox.com, in association with Desh Ventures Inc, a California-based venture firm, provides on-demand car services through its mobile app and call centre.

Passengers can get cars in 30 minutes and pay fare by cash and bKash, according to its website. 

Bdcabs.com is another platform where people can book taxis, private cars and CNG-run auto-rickshaws, using an app, website or by calling at a phone number.