US-based taxi hailing technology company Uber will officially launch its service in Israel tomorrow (Tuesday). Uber operates a rideshare service based on a smartphone app in dozens of cities around the world. The company is already worth some $10 billion, and is considered one of the largest privately-held Internet companies in the market.
In Israel, Uber is launching its uberTAXI service, enabling people to order taxis at the touch of a button via its app, in a way similar to the service that has been offered by GetTaxi in recent years. In the past few weeks, competition between the two companies has heated up on the local scene, chiefly over taxi drivers; now they will be competing over the passengers themselves.
Uber announced in advance that it would allow drivers to work with GetTaxi's system as well, while local company GetTaxi has similarly said that it will also allow drivers to work with Uber.
Uber Israel CEO Yoni Greifman said, "Uber's launch represents a revolution in public transport in Israel, which will profit both passengers and drivers. As a leading technology company, Uber has waited patiently to launch its operations in Israel, which is a high-tech power. Uber has changed the travelling habits of millions of passengers in 45 countries worldwide and we are happy to bring these good tidings to Israel too."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 25, 2014
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