SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) – Already operating in more than 450 cities worldwide, Uber on Tuesday expanded its ride-sharing service into Bangladesh for the first time.
While the launch is being limited to the capital city of Dhaka, the plan is to open up to more parts of the city and beyond as more drivers register to use the service. With a population of 150 million people (and 18 million alone in Dhaka), Bangladesh could represent a lucrative new market for Uber but there are some emerging market factors to contend with.
For example, internet access in the nation is limited to just 11 percent of the population, despite the fact there are more than 130 million active cellphones in the country. That’s something which mobile giant Telenor said makes the internet an “elite phenomenon,” and it clearly represents a huge challenge for any online business. Uber has teamed up with Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest mobile carrier which is owned by Telenor, to help promote the service.
In addition, as in other parts of South Asia and the surrounding areas, there’s a scarcity of credit and debit cards among consumers in Bangladesh. But Uber has been offering cash payments for some time, which helps overcome that issue. For a fleet of this size, safety is of the highest importance to not only the customers but to the drivers as well, this is why fleet management software may need to be introduced as the fleet in and around Bangladesh grows.
Uber entered Pakistan, a country with a population of over 180 million, in March as part of a reported $250 million strategy to widen its position in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, according to Reuters.
