A British employment panel ruled Friday that Uber must offer its drivers minimum wage and paid time off. Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - US online taxi company Uber, which seems a little off the pace in some key markets in Asian and elsewhere in the world, sees opportunities to expand further in Bangladesh.
The firm, which has been celebrating its first year in Bangladesh, said here on Sunday that it has more than 200, 000 people took an Uber trip merely in November 2017, Xinhuanet.com.
It said it has more than 10,000 active driver partners every month with the joining of hundreds every day.
"There is opportunity for us to expand our operations in Bangladesh," said.
Pradeep Parameswaran, head of central operations, Uber India and South Asia, at a press briefing here Sunday.
"Dhaka presented us with a challenge of transforming the transportation landscape and creating alternatives to a city burdened with a growing population of cars on its roads," he said.
"With smartphones, technology that is already in our pockets, and utilizing the existing resources we can pave way for a Dhaka that moves with the lives of its people. We'd like to thank the government of Bangladesh, our business partners, riders and driver partners for their continued support and love in making this vision a reality in Dhaka."
Amit Jain, president of Uber India and South Asia, and Arpit Mundra, general manager of Uber East India and Dhaka, among others, were present at the press conference.
In its first year of operation in Dhaka, the firm said it launched new products, announced a strategic partnership and a safety initiative, to make riding with Uber a safe, reliable and comfortable experience for both riders and driver partners.
The firm said it was requested 1.5 million times in the month of November 2017.
"We've seen a diverse bunch of driver partners - from big fleet operators to a single car owner who drives full time, to professionals from telcos and banks putting their cars on Uber for some additional income, to students who've taken up driving on weekends to earn extra pocket money."
From the press briefing Sunday uber announced their Community Guidelines for both riders and driver-partners in Dhaka.
The guidelines explain the kind of behavior expected from both riders and drivers when using Uber.
Uber on Nov. 22 last year launched its operations in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
Last month Uber announced the launch of its bike-sharing product, UberMOTO, in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka.
BBN/MMI/ANS