No slowing down for Uber: luxury car service now finally in Durban

In a recent blog post, popular US-based luxury transport startup Uber announced the further rolling out of its services in South Africa by opening up shop in Durban. “Living in Durban just got better today” reads the site.

The luxury car for hire startup launched its service in Johannesburg two months ago followed by a similarly stealthy launch in Cape Town a few weeks after.

The San Francisco-based startup has swooped into South Africa with a larger focus on emerging markets across the globe as it launched Bangalore and Dubai around the same time it entered SA. Uber is currently figured to be a massive US$411-million company with operations in about 55 cities on four continents.

For those unfamiliar with the startup, Uber is a mobile application that connects passengers with luxury vehicles for hire. The app is tied to users’ credit cards, and it gives users the pleasure of tracking their drivers en route on their mobile phones.

While the company chauffeured famous footballer Mark Fish and SA rugby star Breyton Paulse before, South African musician DJ Tira got a chance to hitch a classy ride in Durban recently.

All Durbanites are encouraged to try out the service though the road might be a bit bumpy initially:

“It is a city that is about movement and lifestyle. So when it comes to you getting about town, we’d love for you to give Uber a try. If you’re a new user, enter the promo code: “DurbanLaunch” within the app and enjoy R200 off your first ride.

We’re still in testing phase, so please be aware that availability might be limited as we start testing our services. But you can be sure that we’ll be adding more Ubers every day, tweaking and perfecting until we get things just right.”

Uber further says that it’s looking to hire a “rockstar” Associate General Manager and a “fiery” Community Manager. Take a look at the website for more information.

Although being a bit different, the company nonetheless faces competition from local startups such as SnappCab and Zapacab further contributing to South African transport.