The Uber ride sharing company revealed that it was studying striking partnerships in advanced air transport, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, while also nearing introducing self-driving vehicles in service soon.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told Asharq Al-Awsat it was important to provide land and air transport solutions to benefit from this advanced technology, especially in trips that stretch over 100 miles.
Khosrowshahi was in Riyadh where he took part in meetings with government entities to disucss boosting Uber’s partnership with Saudi Arabia.
On self-driving vehicles, he said adding them to the company will not take place overnight, but he expected that they will play an important role in the transport system and Uber’s future operations.
Uber is working with several trusted partners to strike innovative strategic partnerships across the United States, he went on to say. This includes cooperating with Waymo, an American autonomous driving technology company that is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
In Saudi Arabia, Khosrowshahi said Uber was seeking to work with relevant parties in the Kingdom to allow more drivers to transition to using electric vehicles.
Here, one must address two main challenges: the cost of these vehicles and charging options, he explained.
Uber is contributing in achieving urban transport goals in Saudi Arabia by supporting public transport and boosting access to them, he added.
Uber is part of the diverse transportation ecosystem of which public transport is a backbone, he stated.
In the United Kingdom, for example, over 40 percent of Uber trips are launched from or arrive to public transport stations.
The company has also provided the option to make reservations on trains and buses through Uber, helping in increasing the use of public transport and granting users a smooth and comfortable journey, said Khosrowshahi.
Saudi Arabia is a very important market for Uber. The company launched its operations in the Kingdom in 2014, making it one of Uber’s largest markets, he revealed.
It provides services to over 800,000 passengers in 17 cities. Uber also launched a service unique to the Kingdom, Uber Reserve, that allows travelers to book their trips to and from train stations, he added.
The service was launched in cooperation with the Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) and will help in reducing reliance on privately owned cars, he said.
The company also launched Uber X Share that encourages carpooling and bolstering sustainable transportation, all with the aim of contributing to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, he added.
Such a service will help in achieving an emissions free future in Saudi Arabia by 2060, Khosrowshahi stressed.
