Uber has a policy of not accepting car models that fall behind 2008 with its Uber X offering in Kenya. This has limited a number of car owners with 800-1200cc engines on roads to be eligible Uber partners since they fall behind the product standards set by Uber.
However, Uber’s competition like Little have made good use of these cars and owing to their efficient economy, the prices are as similar. They’ve since proven cheaper compared to Uber X which upto now is the only option available for riders in East Africa.
As of this writing, Uber is now looking for driver partners even with car models below the 2008 threshold set by Uber X.
This new Uber offering will co-exist with the current economy Uber X product. Uber says it has to be cheaper for the riders and more affordable for riders. What is missing for now is the naming of this new Uber product.
The speculation is that this new Uber offering is to counter cheaper alternatives from the likes of Little and Mondo.
Also, this comes after the aftermath of massive protests from Uber drivers in Nairobi over fare reductions of Uber X. Uber has since revised it’s prices but many believe the competition is still less cheaper.
In a bid to fend off this new threat, we might see a new Uber product specifically to curtail this new threat that we speculate might make its away across the Kenyan borders to Uganda.
While it has its UberPool service in a few cities across the world, it’s most likely Uber won’t launch it anytime soon. UberPool accepts rider requests of more than a single passenger and the accumulated fares are shared by all the riders.
This could be cheap but kills the urgency or time factor which many users prefer and so a need for a Uber X like product but not specifically X.
