Uber has lengthy confronted opposition from taxi drivers. Now it desires to associate with the business.
Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Photos
Uber has signed a partnership with IT Taxi, the most important taxi dispatch service in Italy, in a tie-up aimed toward boosting the corporate’s presence within the nation.
The deal will enable IT Taxi’s 12,000 taxi drivers to simply accept journeys by way of the Uber app, protecting 90 cities throughout the nation, in accordance with a press release launched Tuesday.
It comes as Uber and different ride-hailing apps grapple with an ongoing scarcity of drivers, which has led to increased fares and longer ready occasions.
Uber mentioned the pact would assist the agency increase its presence in Italy, Europe’s fourth-largest economic system.
It follows a similar deal Uber agreed in New York in March. The corporate additionally has partnerships with taxi teams in Hong Kong, Madrid and San Francisco.
“This can be a actually historic deal in one in every of our most strategically vital markets globally,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi mentioned in a press release.
“We strongly imagine taxis and Uber are higher collectively, and we’re dedicated to creating this a partnership of belief and cooperation lengthy into the long run.”
For years, Uber has confronted opposition from Italian taxi drivers. The corporate was the goal of protests from taxi drivers in 2017, who accused it of participating in unfair competitors. That very same yr, an Italian court docket blocked the corporate over anti-competition considerations, however this was later overturned.
Now, its platform is about to divulge heart’s contents to hundreds of taxi drivers throughout the nation.
Uber declined to share full monetary phrases for the deal. A spokesperson for the corporate mentioned its taxi service takes a set fee for entry to the platform. In Spain, the speed Uber fees is 12%.