Uber joins the fray in Myanmar taxi battle

Present at the launch on Thursday were such dignitaries as Yangon Region Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein and US Ambassador Scot Marciel.
Phyo Min Thein said he had invited international ride-hailing companies including Uber that could provide safer rides and better services to passengers in the region.
“We warmly welcome [this] kind of innovative new technology to Myanmar. At the regional government, we are now preparing to cooperate further with ride-hailing services,” he said.
“It is very auspicious for Myanmar to officially announce that Uber is here. The arrival of Uber will lead to many more remarkable milestones in US-Myanmar relations.”
At the launch, the chief minister explained why he had invited the company to do business in Myanmar.
“When I visited Europe, I found out that many people in the United Kingdom used Uber a lot. So I tried to observe the passengers’ views and taxi drivers’ comments on using it. I have found out that many passengers enjoy using it. 
“We are now undertaking transportation reforms including systematisation of city taxis. So we decided to employ the innovative technology for our taxi reforms,” he said.
Ensuring safer rides in convenient vehicles by government-accredited taxi drivers was another key point that attracted regional authorities. 
The competition in this market is becoming more intense, as Grab entered Myanmar two months ago while local ride-hailing services such as Oway Ride, Hello Cabs and Go Taxi have intensified their efforts to achieve more market share. 
Despite recent calls for protection of the interests of local players, Phyo Min Thein said he was committed to ensuring a level playing field for all the ride-hailing companies in the Myanmar market. 
“We understand international companies are ready to cooperate with us. So we will continue our efforts to sign memoranda of understanding with them soon,” he said. 
However, he hinted that it might take time to sign such agreements, as Myanmar has lagged behind for decades in terms of technology. 
Mike Brown, Uber’s regional general manager for the Asia-Pacific region, said the company would see how technology could transform access to transportation in Myanmar.
“We look forward to supporting Yangon’s economic development by creating economic opportunities for its people, and allowing people to connect with the things they love most,” he said.
Brown said flexibility would be part of the company’s strategy to attract local drivers to use its technology. 
Sam Bool, Uber expansion general manger for Southeast Asia, said the company had brought a senior software engineer from San Francisco to provide technical support on the ground together with its large team in Myanmar. 
He also promised to ensure safer rides, convenience and reasonable taxi fares for passengers. 
Nay Myo Aung, a member of a taxi group who supervised more than 300 drivers, started using the Uber app a month ago. He said it helped him earn more. 
“Driving around to look for passengers does not earn me much. I got introduced to Uber by a friend, and after a few weeks using the app, I can earn on average of 15,000 kyats [Bt380] more per day. I usually receive around 10 ride-hailing appointments offered by Uber every day. So I will keep on working with them,” he said.