Global taxi app Uber, which recently launched across South Africa and is set to enter the Kenyan market, has cut the prices of its cheaper UberX service by up to 34 per cent in 16 American cities.
Fares for the flagship Uber service rolled out in Africa will not change, but UberX, which provides a low-cost alternative, has had its fares cut further.
“What a lot of folks don’t know about Uber is how inexpensive it is to ride UberX,” the company said in a blog post. “For the last two years, we have been laser-focused on introducing low-priced alternatives to cities worldwide. We’ve rolled out UberX in dozens of cities and, over time, we have cut those prices further to help more people experience the Uber magic.”
Uber launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August, with launches in Cape Town and Durban taking place soon after. HumanIPO reported in October the company was exploring M-Pesa integration for a launch in Nairobi, Kenya.
In November, handful of Uber users in Cape Town expressed dismay at being greeted by lower-end vehicles, with the company delivering a Chevy or a Toyota to some users rather than the traditional “black cars”, normally high-end Mercedes or BMW vehicles.
